Green Dreams
by I-Mushi
Summary: Cloud has suffered and asked for forgiveness, but Aeris knows she alone cannot give him it. He must find that forgiveness and peace where it began, back at SOLDIER. SephirothxCloud ON HIATUS
1. The Walls are Closing In

Summary: Cloud has suffered and asked for forgiveness, but Aeris knows she alone cannot give him it. He must find that forgiveness and peace where it began, back at SOLDIER. SephirothxCloud

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter One: The Walls are Closing In**

In the old cafeteria of Shinra Headquarters, where the recruits and SOLDIERs had eaten so many years ago, great lumbering beasts walked now. Fiends that fed off the old mako in the labs had overrun the entirety of Shinra Company's compound and the surrounding area. No one bothered to clean it out anymore. There were few people strong enough to do it, and none of them wanted to go anywhere near it. After so much trouble Shinra had caused, all the pain in Midgar and beyond, the area was finally feeling some measure of peace. Even the people of Edge rarely ventured near the Shinra Headquarter's remains, leaving that painful past alone.

The Shinra complex after Meteor was a pile of rubble for the most part anyway. The plate had completely collapsed and Shinra Headquarters had gone down with it, falling on its lower levels, crushing the labs (except the ones deep underground), and leaving debris for miles around. The entire underbelly of the tower was a ruin, and most of the labs were completely inaccessible—which luckily meant if no one could get in, it wasn't likely anything could get out. Later the top floor had been completely destroyed by Jenova's second reunion, furthering the total devastation of what had once been an empire and leaving it only habitable for the monsters that roamed the remains of Midgar.

Cloud Strife was among those few who could have cleaned it out, but Shinra was about the last place on the planet he ever wanted to see again. Still, he hadn't moved too far from it. Cloud had made himself a home a little ways outside the wreckage of Midgar. After saving the world and taking down the mighty Shinra Corporation with a small band of warriors, his name had spread to the reaches of the Northern Crater, Mideel, and beyond. Unable to escape this unwanted fame but not wanted to go too far from his closest friends, he had sought the solitude of the mountains outside Midgar and frequently made appearances in Edge to the delight of its people. Tifa's influence from Seventh Heaven, among threats and exaggerations, had kept the worst of his admirers away. Occasionally someone drifted close by, but the fiends that loitered between his home and Edge kept all but the most ardent people away.

He visited Edge almost twice a week. Tifa always had a spare bedroom for him if he didn't want to return home, and Denzel and Marlene were always thrilled to see him. Barret seemed to find it funny how 'soft' Cloud had gotten, but Tifa, suited to her motherly role over Denzel and Marlene, always admonished the larger man anytime he even mentioned it. Their home had a cozy, welcoming atmosphere, but Cloud never spent much time there. He had at first found their constant presence like a weight upon him, as though he was still their leader, and they still looked to him for direction. Even as that feeling passed, Cloud felt stifled and tired if he stayed longer than dinner. Over time Tifa and Barret had grown accustomed to him leaving suddenly and popping up again in a couple of days.

Cloud's delivery service still ran, mostly because he was at loose ends but no conventional work appealed to him. After Kadaj's gang ran through the peace, he'd taken a break before starting up again. The miniature vacation had been more about reconnecting with himself and better clearing through the clutter of his mind. Many memories of Shinra were full of holes, and sorting through them seemed to only make it worse.

Though Cloud enjoyed the travel, and therefore fighting, of his delivery service, he didn't make enough to really support himself. Rufus Shinra, of all people, had surprisingly lent some of his aid—which Cloud had taken after a lot of pushing. As long as Cloud cleared the road from Edge to Kalm of monsters once every two weeks and ran some special deliveries for the President, then he was afforded free provisions from Neo-Shinra.

Neo-Shinra worked closely with Reeve Tuesti's World Regenesis Organization (WRO) now. Slowly Neo-Shinra was clearing the blood off of the Shinra name. It still made basic commodities, like potions, antidotes, and simple armor, though it was not the all-encompassing empire its predecessor once was. Neo-Shinra was also no longer involved in providing electricity to the people, which had been the real powerbase of the old business. The company was also growing in the eyes of the populace, especially after digging up and giving much information to the WRO about previous Shinra activities in an effort to improve their image. Cloud's association with them, even if it had little to do with actual business, only boosted this.

Cloud's delivery service gave him the chance to travel far and wide across the continent. He often dropped in on friends when nearby them and made a point of taking a short break when near Nibelheim to visit his mother's grave. The City of the Ancients was also frequented on days of note to Cloud, especially the anniversary of Aeris' death, the destruction of Nibelheim, and Sephiroth's demise. Cloud didn't cry, but those days seemed to fall when it rained, and the flowers he planted by the graves were always in bloom.

There was one more ritual Cloud always adhered to: on his way home, he would always stop at the cliff overlooking Midgar. He would often stand in silence thinking of his best friend, of their history he could scarcely remember, and wondering about what could have been. Even though the buster sword had been moved to its new home in Aeris' church, the cliff was still Cloud's special spot for Zack.

Despite the blond's generally brooding nature, he had managed to loosen up in the years of rest. He and Vincent saw each other rarely, since Vincent was even more of a lone wolf and prone to disappearing for months at a time. Still, the ex-Turk always showed up eventually, and was an excellent sparring partner because he was one of the few capable of keeping up with Cloud's mako-enhanced speed. Barret had returned to Marlene in Midgar once he finally removed the gun from his metal arm and replaced it with a steel hand when the triplets had been defeated. He raised her with Tifa at Seventh Heaven and treated Denzel like a son. Cloud had long acknowledged he was a poor father-substitute, and was rather thankful to not be relegated the job.

Cid still lived in Rocket Town and had finally married Shera. Cid continued to tinker with airships, rockets, and anything mechanical he could get his hands on—with the exception of Fenrir, which Cloud had been careful to maintain himself. The couple always had warm cider whenever Cloud was over, and he enjoyed it even if he would never admit it. Tifa had tipped them off that a young Cloud had been quite fond of it, much to his chagrin.

Yuffie had changed the most of all the members of AVALANCHE. Where she had been the annoying and exasperatingly high-spirited ninja, she had grown more mature with age. She still complained in a whiny voice and stole his materia occasionally, but becoming the leader of Wutai had mellowed her some. Cloud still found her difficult to handle for long periods of time, but no one could say she wasn't a great leader of her people.

Despite everyone he knew around the world and his fame, Cloud's social life was still stunted at best. He rarely spent more than a day or two with friends and went out of his way to avoid most cities and certainly crowds, finding solitude more to his liking. He could often be caught stargazing and roaming at all times of the day and night. His habits of wading into the ocean or disappearing into the hills and crags for days to come back bloody and ragged had gotten him a number of lectures from a worried Tifa.

Cloud knew that many of his friends were disappointed that getting a second whack at his arch-nemesis hadn't greatly changed him in the long run. Tifa and the others had believed he'd come to terms with his past history, but Cloud still struggled with it. It didn't weigh him down like it used to, but he couldn't escape it either. The triplets and that final fight had only added to the endless questions and what-ifs, not brought him true peace.

* * *

Another briskly cool night had fallen upon the mountains outside Midgar. A real gust of snow-laced wind had hit Midgar as the months of winter wound on. Cloud laid on his bed in his small, three-room house, the refrigerator full of Tifa's home-cooked food, and three photos sitting on the small table of the living room. A General, a SOLDIER, a cadet, and Tifa were in one. The other two on the right had all of AVALANCHE in it, one from after Meteor, one from after the three remnants returned.

The small refrigerator and the entire kitchen were bare except for the sink. It had three dishes and several mismatched cups that had yet to be cleaned. The living room was relatively spotless except for a number of bandages strewn about, some even spotted with blood. Cloud was often too tired to throw them out until the following morning, and left them like bits of an unraveled mummy strewn across his floor.

The sheer numbers of plants, however, overran the simplicity of the room. Every windowsill and table had at least some fern or flower on it. Cloud had taken up a small collection of various plant-life and let it flourish quietly in his home. Aeris' church no longer had her flower garden, but now a pool rimmed with her yellow and white blossoms. Cloud often ventured into Midgar just to visit her little spot, though usually early in the morning or as the day died, because much of the public visited it too. He resolutely refused to be upset by the loss of such a personal place. Instead he took from the remains of her garden seeds and had grown some of his own so that he could have a little bit of herself with him, just as he had a little bit of Zack inside him.

Beyond the kitchen and living room were two other rooms. A little bathroom connected to the marginally bigger bedroom. The entire place, all built by Cloud, was small, but Cloud had no need of anything bigger and didn't want for anything more.

The blond owner and builder of this house was curled up on top of his coverlet, the material having been kicked off at some point in the night, and restlessly moved in his sleep. Behind his lids his eyes roved about blindly in a green-haze. Like thick water it wrapped around his form, suspending him in a void without any sense of time or place. Disoriented and afraid, he twisted and turned fruitlessly, struggling against the sheets. There was a constant painful pulse, like a heartbeat, that sent throbs of pure agony through his body. The more violently he moved the more the pain increased. Faintly glowing green eyes opened dazedly, not fully aware of himself.

Sitting up helped as Cloud got a feel for his surroundings. He sighed quietly as he slid off the bed and into the combined kitchen and living room. Resigned to another sleepless night, he took the last clean glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. Barely awake Cloud blinked his eyes several times; his senses slow to interpret the situation.

Everything bent and tilted around him for a moment, and a heavy sense of dread settled in his stomach. Like suddenly standing up and the blood rushing to his head, he closed his eyes to reign in the dizziness and the sudden urge to vomit. When he reopened them everything had straightened out and his stomach wasn't dry heaving, but the details seemed sharper and stood out more in his mind. The water from the sink and in the glass turned his hands a greenish, nauseating glow from the light.

Cloud pulled his hand sharply out from under the sink as the water began to overflow the cup and run over his fingers. The sudden burning sensation where his hand touched the liquid jerked his mind to a more functional state, and he reflexively dropped the glass.

It shattered. The uneven tiling of his floor was rained upon with droplets of green that left ugly splotches where they landed. Like mercury, the beads banded together and formed puddles of acidic chemical that would leave permanent dark green stains. Each individual piece of glass on the floor reflected a thousand times over the sickening green glow.

Startled as the fumes reached him, he gagged and choked on the searing smell and fumbled backwards to get away. He knew the burn and the scent that now overwhelmed his kitchen—knew it all too well. As he looked at his hand, it had taken on an unhealthy redness where the chemical touched him, and the area became irritated and sensitive to touch. The course flannel of his pants was harsh against it as he wiped his flaming hand against his thigh, only agitating the burn. Cloud recognized the feeling.

The bottoms of his bare feet stepped on the broken glass and cut into him, and his elbow connected solidly with the wall, but he was barely aware of the pain. He managed to throw open the two windows of the room, but the odor, like bile, would not leave his nose.

Blindly he turned from the smell and went back to his room, tracking blood on the floor as he stumbled. He slammed the door behind him a bit too hard, his muscles still agitated and twitching with repressed strength, and the door groaned and cracked at the force. Seeing the bed Cloud's whole body slumped as he sat down, holding his head in his hands, reigning in his breathing and trying to slow his frantic heart rate. He could have laughed if his throat wasn't closed so tight, and he wasn't still short of breath. Already the smell was dissipating into the air, and Cloud breathed in and out slowly.

Imagining mako everywhere had been the least of the tricks his mind had played on him. Coming to the City of Ancients and seeing Aeris again, looking at his reflection in the church and seeing Sephiroth's eyes once more, all of these things had happened and nothing had come of them. Cloud's mind had led him long ago to believe he had been a First Class SOLDIER, that he had gone on missions, done amazing things, all untrue. It had betrayed him to Jenova's will and had turned him into a puppet when he handed over the black materia to Sephiroth. Even now the weakness of his shattered mind still haunted him with false vision after false vision.

Standing up again and feeling more tired than he had in weeks; the blond slipped off his flannel sleeping-pants and fell back upon the bed. Nude, the sheets rubbed against him like cool soothing fingers. The blond rolled on to his stomach to cool his hot body down. His hand pained him to even touch the soft pillows, and he let it dangle off the side instead. Cloud left the coverlet at the foot of the bed and sprawled out to attempt sleep. His tired mind ceaselessly moved though, and he did not sleep well.

* * *

The morning sun broke into the little room where its occupant stirred. Cloud slept lightly enough that the barest of morning's rays were enough to shake him awake. Constant paranoia from army life and living in the open with Sephiroth and Hojo on the loose didn't allow Cloud a solid black slab of sleep anymore. Still groggy, he crossed to his dresser and pulled on the usual attire of the day: a sleeveless sweater along with loose military pants, and steel-toed combat boots.

The bathroom was small, with a couple of plants left by Marlene proliferating on the windowsill and one lone toothbrush sat on the sink nearby. Cloud leaned over to grab it and began to meticulously brush his teeth.

The memories of the night before swam back into the forefront of his mind. Cloud pushed those away ruthlessly and, like a good soldier, separated himself from the pain and instead focused on the bland activity of brushing and spitting. He spat the last of it out and filled up a cup with water. The blond swirled it and gurgled once before spitting it out again, but stopped from repeating the action. The water had tinted the plastic cup green on the inside and warmed his marked hand. The burn from the night before became quite evident under the morning light.

In one violent motion Cloud dumped it all out and into the drain, almost throwing the cup into the sink too. His eyes grew unnaturally wide as the chemical dribbled down the drain. His hands shook as he tried to refill the cup with water just to show himself it wasn't what it seemed. It proved to be impossible as more and more glowing-green filled his cup instead. Cloud backed away from the sink towards the door, drawing in a sharp breath, his face white and strained. He easily sidestepped the trashcan but his back hit the closed door.

Everything stopped around him as he tried to escape the images and desperately looked into the mirror. The familiar flop of blond hair and pale skin were strangely overshadowed by the luminescent orbs staring into a face as fearful as the one on the first day of SOLDIER recruitment.

Cloud was out the door and on his motorcycle as fast as his enhanced muscles could carry him. In his flight he stopped long enough in the living room to collect a handful of materia, which he stuffed into the pockets of his pants. Sudden escapes from inns and breaking camp fast in AVALANCHE had honed the technique of thinking on his feet where the military had not. First Tsurugi's base blade was strapped to his back in a flash. Cloud slid on the goggles and gunned Fenrir's engine. The accompanying roar of the motor matched the roar of panic in Cloud's ears as he took off into the desert.

He swerved madly around monsters and the arched noses and chins of cliffs, making hairpin curves and skidding sharply in his blind attempt to escape. He was panicking he knew, but he couldn't shake the hysteria clawing in his stomach. The desert sand and bright sun blinded him as the wind whipped around in a tumult, dragging on his clothes. At the back of his mind he knew that at the speed he was moving, he could be a mangled mess of metal and blood if he crashed. All the same he upped the speed, pushing his subconscious back where it belonged, kicking up debris behind him.

The ocean glimmered on the edge of the horizon, and Cloud didn't stop until Fenrir's front tire was washed clean by the tide. Breathing hard with exertion and finally feeling the harried panic dissipate some, Cloud dismounted and slipped off his boots and socks. He rolled up his pants to his knees and waded into the water.

If he looked far enough up the coast he could see the grey outline of Midgar. Where the once perpetual smoke-cloud had smothered it, there was an odd sense of wonder at being able to see it fully. Cloud imagined he could see the spire of Aeris' church from this distance. He had never slept in that church, though he'd lain there for hours, staring up through the hole in the roof at the sky. The nightmares that plagued him would have tainted the beauty of her home.

Cloud turned back to the ocean, feeling terribly worn, like he had finally stretched himself too far, and he could no longer muster the will to fight it. Something in him felt far older than he was, and it tugged at his weary soul. As he stared out into the ocean he could remember a younger Cloud looking out at this same sight too. He could recall the uncomfortable bouncing in back of a pick-up truck, and the dreamlike quality of Zack's words. The ocean, he remembered, was where Zack washed his hands of the mako and cleaned Cloud's for him because he had been too weak to do it himself.

Cloud leaned down into the water and let it swirl about his burnt hand, wiping away the memory. There was something soothing in the caress of the ocean though that calmed those black thoughts, like that moment when he'd felt Aeris reaching out to hold his hand. He waded further into the water ignoring the waves of the ocean pulling at his clothes, letting the peace and gentle rhythm of the water guide him to the shores of restful sleep, a place he hadn't been to in a long time.

He began to sway in the water, the sides of his feet lifting off the rough sand and then back down, basking in a rhythm he had not felt since his childhood. He leaned his head back and felt the warmth of the sun on his face. His eyes gently shut, and then quietly, almost unknown to him, he began to fall.

He landed in a garden, the soft cushion of grass wonderfully familiar. Cloud looked up at the endless blue sky and wondered if his eyes had ever been that color—if they had ever been just normal. He could no longer remember what they had looked like. As a cadet he had never had mako treatments. Waking up long after Hojo had turned him into a lab rat, his eyes had changed forever, and his broken memory had forgotten who he had been before.

* * *

Aeris stood off to the side and slightly behind Cloud, letting him soak in the peace of her garden. He would not feel that calm for very long, and had already gone so long without, that she asked from deep inside her that he might feel that again. Slowly his eyes closed, and the delicate lashes caused tiny shadows to appear upon his fine features, too sharp by stress and burdens. Kneeling by his side she reached out a hand to his. Rubbing his knuckles and kneading his palm, she sang a soft, low song that her own mother had calmed her with long ago.

She could only hope Cloud could forgive her and himself.

* * *

Shinra was not so old-fashioned as to have a trumpet player wake its SOLDIERs and recruits in the mornings. Instead they had an alarm someone had said long ago was like the screech of a castrated Behemoth.

Cloud had suffered enough of these wake-up calls to last a lifetime and thought he would never have to wake to it again. After all the commotion of his early life, waking up at the crack of dawn to silence was a blessing. When the sudden blare of the alarms shattered the silence of the room with a sudden cacophony of sound, Cloud was up like a shot, one hand under the pillow for the knife he kept there. With a particularly loud WHAM, Cloud's head connected with the bottom of the bunk above him.

He rubbed his forehead, partially from pain, but mostly from shock. His mind seemed to detach itself involuntarily as he took in the room.

It was a far too recognizable, with four sets of bunk beds spread about: two against one wall perpendicular to him, his own and the bunk above it to the left of the door, and the other set directly across from his. The walls were the same dull gray steel, and the floor a dirt-thin carpet in very faded red. The only windows were two small ones close to the ceiling and perpetually closed. In all the bunks around him, people were beginning to stir. Cadets with long-forgotten faces and voices that recalled some of his oldest memories peeked out of covers and rolled over on pillows. Like ghosts, they stumbled out of bed and started their daily routine.

Someone dropped in front of him, and Cloud sharply pulled back, ready to flee or fight. One fist was already clenched in preparation, but the figure before him asked for a punch in the face for an entirely different reason.

"Up and at em' cowboy! Materia's today, and you don't want to miss a bit of it. I'm already getting the hang of it." The boy laughed easily, a bright smile on his face. The other cadets in the barracks were groaning at him but Cloud only stared. Daniel Gavish's face had been half-burnt off and warped with pain in his death. Cloud couldn't remember the circumstances, but that gruesome image swam right into focus as he stared at him, perfectly numb with shock.

"You're back in the clouds, Cloud." In a singsong voice at a near-painful octave this early in the morning, Dan almost did a little twirl on the spot. Cloud twitched in response, his fist whitening with tension, hearing those words echo from long years past. "Can't miss theory or Sergeant'll have your ass." The boy waved and practically skipped out of the room, fully dressed and ready to go. The other boys, done pulling on their own clothes by now, fished out any necessary books and paper and also began to leave. As they trickled out, a painful cold settled over Cloud's chest.

The very last of them spared the blond a glance. He said nothing as he left.

Cloud sat in the silence of the room carefully counting his heartbeats to reassure himself this simply couldn't be real. Then, in one violent motion, he turned his body and punched a fist into the steel wall. His knuckles broke and bled, but for Cloud the pain was insignificant in comparison to the overwhelming truth. He swallowed harshly. Something was at work here, something that didn't take into account his feelings or care that this would be the string to unbind him. With a frustrated cry, Cloud slammed his other fist into the same wall, not even denting the metal and ignoring the smarting it caused. Both hands bled rivets, and Cloud knew his face was screwed up and red from all of the emotions going through him. He couldn't name half of them, but he could feel the hot, blinding press of them clamoring for room.

Vomit crept up his throat again, and his eyes began to burn. Ruthlessly he suppressed both urges and lowered his head, searching for his stoic strength.

More in control now, he blankly relaxed his arms but kept the knuckles in place, before allowing them to come away from the wall to splay out his hands, palms pressed against the steel wall. He couldn't pull his eyes away from the image of his red and bloodied hands, and soon the burning behind his eyes messed up his vision until his trembling hands were blurring with the wall. Too much emotion that couldn't be suppressed left him unable to remove his hands or stop himself from pushing as hard as possible against the walls of the barracks.

He pushed against the insurmountable walls of the room, struggling blindly to fight the inevitable.


	2. Do You Believe in Materia?

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Two: Do You Believe in Materia?**

The first day was over and Cloud was wide-awake. The barracks were silent save for the steady breathing of the sleeping cadets. Their days were filled with exhaustive exercise and information intake. The months of training as a recruit at Shinra were for solidifying the basics. Only after getting into SOLDIER did the truly extensive training really begin. Zack had told stories of it, and Cloud had longed for the kind of one-on-one training in a personal field of interest that it offered.

Cloud had always secretly hoped while a cadet, that Zack might be his teacher for the buster sword. He'd especially longed for it after Zack's death, mourning a combined mentor and friend. Zack had eventually inadvertently become that, but it was not the way Cloud or Zack had envisioned or wanted it to be.

Remembering Zack's untimely death in such clarity reminded Cloud of what he didn't remember. Consciously, many names, faces, and minor events had been long lost, but as Cloud met those ghosts again, they came back with astounding force. He assumed that after absorbing parts of Zack, confusing their separate lives, and after the trauma from Hojo, Nibelheim, and then Sephiroth, Cloud's mind had simply pushed these seemingly irrelevant things to the back. Now it was all coming back—along with a splitting migraine.

Cloud had forgotten what a headache felt like. Mako prevented most simple ailments.

The day continued to loop in his head while his temples throbbed to the tune of his heartbeat. It was impossible to sleep after the craziness of a day spent reliving his life in Shinra. Before the Nibelheim Incident. Before everything.

* * *

Come morning, he had been sick in the bathroom, unable to vomit because he'd had no food in his stomach, though his body still convulsed painfully. Cloud was thankful the others had already left as he stumbled out. He consciously avoided the mirror as he left the bathroom. He didn't want to face the inevitable sight of his youth.

His first class of the day hadn't been able to hold his attention for long, and his mind had wandered down the same paths it had the night before, repeating what incidents he knew were his and weren't Zack's, and what facts of his life in Shinra he could remember.

Shinra was a highly organized, efficient, and militaristic system that ran well, but rigidly. There was a set curriculum in each class, alphabetically assigned seating, a standard code of punishment for disobedience, and all of it enforced—which was easily the most exceptional thing about it. It was a strict regime meant to turn out SOLDIERs (or at least army troopers) like an assembly line, and it was actually quite successful. If cadets couldn't keep up with the program, they were kicked out point-blank. When you signed the contract to join the SOLDIER program, the promise was to join the regulation army if you couldn't cut it—the fate of most cadets including Cloud.

That being said, Cloud had been one of the few students that actually tried, and he'd been bullied badly for it (though he couldn't remember anything specific, he just knew he had), and his grades hadn't reflected his motivation. He'd been the runt of the class, and it showed. Even with a good grade on written exams, the physical tests were what the military was about, and Cloud had failed at that spectacularly.

Unfortunately, failure now meant more than just the humiliation of underpaying, grueling work in the regular army. And as Cloud zoned out to the droning of the teacher, he could envision it perfectly:

There was Sephiroth, the wild halo of his hair wreathing him while standing on a gory battlefield triumphant; Zack's buster sword laying in the dust on the cliff where he died; Hojo parading the battlefield victoriously, as though he had single-handedly won the war; AVALANCHE in their homes with their friends and family, eyes glazed in death; the Planet dying and Aeris' flower garden withering with it; and Cloud, in all of this, lying at the bottom of Aeris' lake, unable to get up because the water was everywhere and he didn't have the strength to fight it.

The bell rang then, jerking Cloud and his peers back to the present.

The present was almost as dreamlike as that nightmare had been though. Walking through the halls of Shinra, Cloud couldn't deny how real it felt and how he'd been suffering a dizzying amount of déjà vu all day. The people, the classrooms, the routine, it was very familiar and all the more irritating because of it.

The second class of the morning was theory, essentially just another lecture class. It managed to meld history and the present together to ostensibly inform cadets about philosophies useful to soldiers, but it had almost no meaning in SOLDIER and virtually no use outside of it. The instructor just recounted Shinra's glory in the Wutai War, and the guerilla warfare they waged with various rebel groups in the aftermath. It was a facts class, but mostly utilized for brainwashing and propaganda of the would-be SOLDIERs.

Cloud had intended to go to theory and had walked with the other boys there—or more like tailed behind them because he was only half-sure where he was going—but then at the other end of the hall there was Zack. Just the sight was enough to make Cloud stumble, but this wasn't the dirty, messy, haggard Zack who hid exhaustion behind a smile in the back of a yellow pick-up truck. It was Zack Fair looking like the First Class SOLDIER he was, with a modified uniform, boots shined, hair in every direction, and a smooth, confident stride as he talked easily to the SOLDIER next to him. He had a real smile on his face and the distinctive glowing eyes of all SOLDIERs, though on Zack it wasn't intimidating. In fact, friendly interest was obvious in the way he looked at the cadets walking by, many of whom were looking right back at him in awe, Cloud included.

First Class SOLDIERs were easy to spot because they had the freedom to wear whatever they wanted. Zack usually went with a customized uniform, removing the sleeves, foregoing the helmet, and changing the material of the clothing to suit his needs, though he stuck with the navy blue or black color (Cloud barely remembered how viciously Zack had complained about the Second Class purple). Despite that, Zack was a well-known face around Shinra because of his charisma and friendliness.

Cloud tensed up as Zack passed by, resisting the urge to stare too long. Just seeing his old friend like this was almost painful. He looked so alive, so much _realer_ than he did in Cloud's memories. The urge to reach out and touch the SOLDIER was stronger than anything he'd ever felt before, but Cloud clenched his teeth and managed to look away.

Zack still had that spiked thorn-bush hair, and it was midnight black though shorter than Cloud remembered it. The other cadets' looks of envy were nothing compared to the way Cloud felt. The blond didn't see Zack the way the other boys did, not just as an amazing SOLDIER they admired. Cloud saw a million images of Zack all at once: his goofy smile; his face set in concentration as he swung his massive sword; the way his hands looked big and clumsy and were heavy when they mussed up Cloud's hair; Zack in the yellow pick-up truck, fuzzy around the edges but smiling all the while; Zack shouting something, concern and worry in his voice but his words indistinct; and Zack's face, peaceful in death.

The double vision was powerful, but that last image of Zack's bloodied face so utterly relaxed, the lines of stress Cloud hadn't been able to see until they were gone, it was haunting. Greater than that though; it was almost prophetic. Could he save Zack? Sephiroth?

It was ringing in his ears so loud that Cloud didn't realize he had stopped walking until someone bumped his shoulder hard enough to make him stumble a step forward. "Keep walking, Strife," sneered Reno, the red-haired Turk-to-be. Cloud stood frozen as the younger visage of Reno laughed in his face and walked away.

Cloud skipped his next class to be alone. He escaped to the far side of the training fields, looking for the most privacy he could find. There was a little spot of grass on the farthest side behind a shed, which he headed to almost without thinking. He'd escaped there before, he knew.

Most of the fields were tough sand and dirt taken from the desert surrounding Midgar and ideal for the intense running and exercises cadets and SOLDIERs did outisde. Not quite jogging, but hurriedly walking, Cloud abandoned any idea of secrecy, as the open fields didn't offer shelter from prying eyes. Finally on the soft grass in the back corner, behind a maintenance shed that would hide him from prying eyes, he flopped on his back to stare up into the polluted sky, willing away tears. He, the great warrior who took down Shinra's General and saved the world, was on the verge of crying. So much emotion, more than Cloud could ever remember feeling, was hitting him all at once. Zack, Reno, SOLDIER, the helplessness, the anger, the fear…

Lying on that field, Cloud could see every bad outcome in his probable future it seemed. It felt like there were only a handful of good ends and an infinite number of bad. Worse than that though, his chances of success in saving anyone seemed to grow slimmer every time he thought about it.

* * *

What Cloud hadn't seen, while lying there looking at the sky and begging the Planet to bring him back to a life he had at least been able to live, was Zack's eyes on him. After walking by the cadets, Zack had headed up several floors to retrieve some files from his friend's office. On his way out he'd passed a window looking out at the fields and spotted Cloud's characteristic hair hurriedly jogged through the fields. Zack stopped short, knowing full well the other cadets had been heading to class, and watched the blond scurry behind the shed, no doubt to hide.

Zack, as Lieutenant General of the SOLDIER division of the army, had more free time than other SOLDIERs because he wasn't as constrained by training regiments, and if he didn't, he made more free time for himself. Zack wasn't lazy when it came to sword fighting and training, but he did manage to evade as much paperwork as possible. He found various excuses to get out of it, some more ridiculous than others. One legitimate excuse he used though was visiting the cadets to encourage them in their training. Seeing a First Class SOLDIER at all, especially with Zack's reputation with his 300lbs buster sword, tended to do that without much effort.

Still, Zack enjoyed those visits, but no one had quite stuck out in a group more than the blond boy with a chocobo's haircut. The first day Zack saw him had been the first day for the autumn group of cadets to start learning basic sword fighting techniques. They had been given the rundown of the simplest kata and were handed out the wooden practice swords. Zack came in the backdoor and managed to hide behind the line of cadets as they got a feel for their weapons. Zack noticed within minutes the blond on the end, his hair a beacon. The way he stood relative to the other boys made him seem set apart from the group, which had caught Zack's eye. Zack was, self-admittedly, a sucker for the underdog and pariah cliché. Sephiroth seemed to think him some kind of idealist.

One of the instructors had eventually noticed Zack lurking in the back of the room, so he came out of the corner of the room. He made sure to move around the line behind the cadets—just to make them sweat a little for fun—thereby coming up and around right next to the blond on the end. In passing him, Zack could feel the boy's tension peak, his hand trembling slightly around the wooden sword. Zack, trying to be comforting, put a hand on his shoulder briefly, and met the bright, wide blue eyes with a smile. He kept going around then, making a mental note to keep an eye on him.

Zack had kept that promise to himself, though it had been difficult at times. The boy struggled in some things and did average in others, but excelled in little. Zack's heart went out to him. He could tell the blond tried hard, harder than most of the other boys, but he just seemed to fall behind the others, the runt of the litter. It didn't help that he hadn't seemed to make any friends from what few times Zack had seen him.

The First turned away from the window, smiling slightly to himself. Runt or not, Cloud didn't look like the sort to give-up, and Zack silently willed him to believe in hard work overcoming all obstacles, because Zack certainly did. He remembered a day when all he'd wanted to be was a hero. He'd grown from that goal, but he hoped Cloud Strife had something he yearned to do too.

* * *

Cloud rolled over on his creaky mattress to lie flat on his back. He examined the lines of the bunk above him, and the nails screwed into the wood, and wondered how many people had lain on this bed before him. How many after?

The bunk above and to his right groaned ominously as Dan turned over in his sleep. Cloud didn't turn his head or move, and the boy's breathing evened out in a few moments.

* * *

As nice as Dan Gavish was to him, being bunkmates and all, the boy had more clouds and fluff between his ears than most people thought Cloud did. He tended to forget the little things in favor of what held his attention, and Cloud had always ended up a little thing to Dan. The blond was too quiet for him, too mellow and unresponsive to garner much attention. To Dan, and undoubtedly the rest of the barracks, Cloud was some one-dimensional cadet with a funny name and hair.

Because of this and Cloud's general loner nature, he typically sat alone in the canteen eating the plastic casserole Shinra called food (they called it a casserole, Cloud had his doubts). The bad food was something Cloud had suffered through everyday in every meal. Later, even with AVALANCHE the food hadn't been that good, and luckily he hadn't grown too soft on Tifa's cooking.

The crowds of people in the cafeteria were mostly cadets, with a smattering of employees and a small number of SOLDIERs who happened to be on this side of the compound. Cloud sat alone, as he had throughout his time as a recruit, and it didn't bother him; he was grateful in fact. He preferred anonymity.

After lunch there were two more periods, all hands-on work with materia. Dan was easily the most enthusiastic of the class, though the others were looking more awake as they stood in a line in the large gym. Dan was the most adept with materia, managing to produce more magic than anyone else in the class, but that wasn't saying much.

"Wake-up ladies! I get you after lunch _every Monday,_ and you all stuff yourselves and come here asleep!" Instructor Hade was undoubtedly the loudest instructor Cloud had ever had. He beat the conditioning coach with volume to spare. The worst part of Instructor Hade's bellowing though was that the materia practice gyms were made of metal, and the high ceilings for lighting magic echoed and amplified his voice. He was often drowned out by his own echoes, which made it difficult to understand him.

"Since none of you ladies can use even a little magic," Dan whimpered a bit but did not assert himself, "I'll run over this for the last time!" The person next to Cloud took an unconscious step back as the instructor leaned dangerously forward. Hade made the same explanation every week, nearly word-for-word, and Cloud could see Reno out of the corner of his eye starting to mouth along, a cocky look on his face the blond recognized from years later. "Using materia requires a part of the mind you don't normally use! It requires will and the raw energy inside you you've _never used before_. Some of you may _never_ use it at the rate you're going, and you'll never be SOLDIER if you can't do magic!" People rolled their eyes as Hade kept going for several more minutes essentially repeating the same mantra, before finally letting them go to practice.

They were moved into spots along the walls, coated in protective paints and made of reinforced metal meant to take extreme temperatures of magical attacks. Cloud managed to be right next to the door since he was at the end of the line like always. Old armguards and bangles were handed out, many dented and reeking of dried sweat. Cloud held his between two fingers almost afraid to put it on. He was capable of using the fire materia they were now handing out without it, but he didn't want to risk exposing himself. He was still figuring things out.

Gingerly he slipped the faded iron armguard over his hand and past his wrist. The fire materia was handed to him, and he slotted it with ease, the only good thing about this equipment having been used so much. Hade took his positions in the center of the room and explained the exercise. They were to attempt to produce a flame, ideally long enough to touch the wall. The concept behind this was to later mold that tongue into a ball and create an explosion away from the user. The cadets however, could usually get a couple of sparks or at least make the materia glow and heat up if they tried hard enough. Dan could get a little flame about the half the length of his hand out of the materia.

Cloud hadn't had a problem with materia after mako-exposure. Having mako injections created a deeper connection with the part of the mind that activated materia, as materia was primarily made of condensed natural mako. After all the mako he had been in with Hojo, Cloud could have used Comet2 twice and still remain on his feet.

The ability to use materia without mako injections, however, was somewhat more difficult and took talent and practice. It tended to "click" with some people. Barret had never really gotten the hang of it while Red XIII and Aeris had excelled. Yuffie was adept at just about anything she was given.

The hair on Cloud's neck prickled. Somebody was either staring at him or coming towards him, he couldn't tell which. He didn't want to turn his head and possibly meet Reno's eyes, but the feeling wasn't going away.

Cloud must have taken too long to think about it, because Instructor Hade informed Cloud from about two inches from his ear that, "_daydreaming_ won't make materia work!"

The sudden voice and breath on his sensitive ear startled Cloud so badly that he reflexively jumped, his hand slipping into his left sleeve for the spare knife he kept there, only to meet air. He fumbled with his hand in his sleeve, realizing a moment too late that he was completely unarmed save for the fire materia. Hade was just lucky Cloud hadn't thought to use it—he might be a pile of ash if he were.

It must have been dumb luck that Hade was a materia caster and a poor hand-to-hand fighter. He either didn't notice or didn't comprehend Cloud's reaction, and must have assumed Cloud was just completely surprised and clumsy to boot.

However, he did notice the confused look on Cloud's face though and mistook it for stupidity. "I said daydreaming _won't_ make materia work!" Something wet touched Cloud's face, and he resisted the urge to wipe the spit away rudely. When Cloud nodded mutely, Hade marched off, duty done. Cloud rubbed the spittle on face off mutinously and turned back to the wall, just stopping himself from rolling his eyes. Even if he were technically sixteen years old, he wouldn't give in to such childish moves.

Readjusting the armguard, Cloud focused back on the class. Using materia was also about confidence. Most talents or skills worked that way in general. Probably one of the greatest problems with the cadets was that they believed they couldn't use materia, and so they didn't. Dan had managed a lick of flame, and several had glowing balls, but otherwise there was no real magic to be seen.

Cloud glanced down at the quietly glowing ball in the only slot of the armguard. Establishing a flame would be simple, except toning it down would take a lot of control. If Dan got barely anything, Cloud should have almost nothing. All he had to do was use a tiny amount of energy and maintain complete focus so he didn't do anything more. If he could make the ball just glow, that should be enough.

It was hard to judge how much energy to put in, and to Cloud's horror what he thought was a small amount proved to be far too much. The materia in his armguard flared up brightly and burned with heat he could feel through the metal—proof that it was cheap—and suddenly flames shot out of his extended hand in one long stream. In a matter of seconds the thinner, less-reinforced metal of the door that his hand had been vaguely pointing at had been burnt until it melted away, leaving white-hot edges that smoldered. The flame had been so long and so hot that there was a distinct hole in the door that Cloud could see right through.

Cloud was probably the most surprised person in the room. He had never been particularly brilliant with materia, but melting objects was usually a Fire3—or Fire2 if you were Aeris—kind of power. Cloud looked down at the materia numbly and wondered if he'd misread the level.

The room buzzed with talk as the cadet next to Cloud examined the hole. It was easily as wide as his spread hand. The other cadets were muttering about it and wondering just how Cloud did it, their voices rising to the ceiling so Cloud felt like he was standing in an auditorium full of people and not a class of thirty. Instructor Hade cut into the noise and slapped a heavy hand on Cloud's shoulder, praising him at the top of his lungs as he did so.

Cloud was too shocked to register the praise or the suspicion. He looked down at his hand, not a burn or blister on it, then at the materia, which cheerfully winked a Fire1 materia level at him. His first day and things were all over the place. Was this good? Bad? How had it happened?

* * *

Cloud put his hands behind his head on the pillow and thought it over. He'd been going through various theories in his head to explain the materia incident for most of the day, but most of them required a real stretch of imagination. Perhaps he had some trace mako in his system. Or he'd been so messed up with everything that happened, that he'd used a lot more MP than he thought. He hadn't felt that depleted though, but maybe this body just didn't know how to tell yet.

Either way, Cloud firmly thought, it was a one-time event. When he would fail to reproduce similar outcomes in later classes and got a better handle of his own personal control, everyone would forget about it.

It was a freak accident caused by the stress. That was the only thing that made sense.

* * *

Support Materia class was better at least. Instructor Hade has already informed the teacher of Cloud's feat, so no one expected anything of him. By the end of class Cloud had gotten the hang of exerting absolutely no energy and screwing up his face like he expected something to happen.

To Cloud's silent amusement, people had taken the initiative to try harder. He supposed they figured that if some nobody like him could melt a metal door then surely they could detoxify a rat. Their faces set in concentration were quite funny.

At dinner, Cloud contemplated every possible reason for the materia incident. He was just getting on to any possible defects in the materia itself when he stopped mid-thought. Someone was alarmingly close to his right side. He whipped around fast, forcing down the automatic need to strike first.

It was only Reno sneaking up on him. The redhead was just a couple of paces away, and he looked mildly surprised at how jumpy Cloud was. Still, now that he had Cloud's attention he sidled in a little closer. The blond could just barely hear some of the redhead's friends guffawing a couple tables over.

"Betcha you can't do it again," he said, goading Cloud. "Your face'll be _burning_ when you can't impress anyone tomorrow." Reno laughed loudly then made a face at his friend a couple tables in front of Cloud's, who mimicked it back at him.

* * *

Cloud had known somehow that he'd met Reno before AVALANCHE, but the memories had been fuzzy at best. Looking back on some of those conversations as he lay in bed, he realized Reno had definitely recognized him and had been subtly making fun of him, bringing back episodes from their shared cadet days. AVALANCHE and Cloud had either misinterpreted or ignored those taunts.

Reno must have known Cloud wasn't the SOLDIER he and Shinra had thought himself to be, but he hadn't said anything. Maybe he took perverse pleasure in Cloud's lie, who knew? But he had implied it whenever they'd run into each other, though Cloud had been perfectly blind to it. The redhead must have thought Cloud was a rock since he hadn't risen to the bait.

Cloud was amused as he thought about it, shifting in the bunk trying to find a vaguely comfortable position. He'd probably unnerved the redhead back then without even trying.

* * *

Reno had clearly been a bit of bully when they were cadets, Cloud mused as Reno's friends at the next table over shouted something to their friend. Cloud had failed the exam, but the Turks must have picked up Reno sometime around then because he didn't remember Reno's outcome at all. In Cloud's future he had changed from the teenager he was here—but not that much.

Cloud had forgotten him, probably because Zack hadn't been bullied as a recruit. Still, it was perversely nice to see a familiar face, even if it was currently staring him down looking smug. With each time Reno struck out at Cloud, the blond could see some of the alternate Reno; the loyalty, the depth, the intelligence that the cadets and Cloud hadn't seen before he'd joined the Turks. It was something no one had seen before Tseng. The Turks had become a family for Reno. Cloud hadn't really understood that until he'd started working a bit for Neo-Shinra. The way Reno clung to his remaining Turks and the familiarity of Shinra spoke of a deeper connection—the kind AVALANCHE had.

Cloud reflected on that relationship for a second too long perhaps. The lack of reaction on Cloud's part was disconcerting for Reno. The blond was usually worth it for the clenched fist, whitening lips, and red face. The fact that Cloud didn't tattle to anyone was a bonus too. This completely blank Cloud, in fact, the blond was almost ignoring him, was unsettling and different.

Reno secretly wondered if something had happened, and if so he wanted to know what. Reno's naturally nosy nature had gotten him in and out of trouble all his life. He had lived in the slums digging up information, particularly on the history of pre-Shinra times—a dangerous and difficult thing to get your hands on. It had been fascinating, but when Reno came of age he went to join Shinra if only for somewhere to go with his life. Not to mention it put him in a good position to dig a little more into the empire.

He looked once more over at Cloud, who was spacing out still and looked utterly distracted. He would riffle through the blond's things later to see if he could find anything.

* * *

Cloud had left dinner early, barely eating anything, to hide away on his bed and hope for sleep. Of course, he'd ended up ruminating on the day, and if he could make any more mistakes than he already had. He rolled on to his right side and glanced at the redhead sleeping a couple of bunks away. Dealing with Reno's bullying wouldn't be hard, especially if the redhead got no reaction out of him. That would at least deal with one problem.

The most important thing for Cloud was to stop Nibelheim from ever happening. If it could be stopped, then the events it set in motion would be stopped, and the root of the problem solved. To do this, however, Cloud needed to go to Nibelheim. From there, he could destroy the books that Sephiroth would read, possibly kill Jenova if she was in the reactor, get Vincent, and thereby end things.

Admittedly, SOLDIER wasn't a necessity. He could easily drop out of the recruitment program, defect from the regular army, and make his way over there on foot, but Cloud didn't want that. He felt selfish for thinking that, but he hadn't been selfish in a long time—too long. This was another chance at a dream he'd long since given up on. If he got into SOLDIER, he would be closer to Zack and Sephiroth, and he'd have the benefits of that training to bolster him.

Sure, running around the world killing monsters would get him back into the swing of it in no time, but mako was unmatched, and the personalized training of SOLDIER was far better than anything he could pick up in the wilderness. It was better to have greater strength too, because even if Jenova was half-comatose in Nibelheim, who knew what she was capable of?

Of course, he had to consider failure too. If he failed the SOLDIER Exam again, then he would be in the regulation army and would have to wait for the inevitable mission to Nibelheim to actually do something. He'd probably also have to deal with the deep disappointment of never achieving that childhood dream of his twice. If he then dropped out of the army, then he'd be a deserter, and he'd have to deal with the backlash from that.

Then of course, the ultimate failure: if he somehow managed to screw up, whether he was killed or permanently injured by a monster or something else happened, then it would be over. Sephiroth would probably run around the world at Jenova's beck and call, Zack might save someone else from Hojo—and that shot a sharp pain through Cloud's heart—and in the end…

Cloud shook his head roughly and sat up, putting his head between his knees. There was no chance he could let history repeat itself or insecurities get in his way. Sephiroth and Zack needed this second chance—they needed Cloud to succeed.

Cloud needed himself to succeed. He'd probably lose his mind reliving everything the way it had gone before.

Eventually he fell asleep, but it was a fitful rest. The blond had lived alone for so many years that all the breathing and movement around him made his sleep uneven and very light, especially after living with monsters lurking outside his house. He woke early in the morning to full-body flashes of mako-induced pain and a great agony on his left arm at the elbow joint. The vein there was stark against his skin.

He bit his lip until it had faded to manageable levels, focusing on one point of the far wall and nothing else. The morning hadn't come yet and no one stirred. Alone, Cloud nursed his still aching arm and tried to find the foggy realm of sleep.


	3. Finding Your Feet

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Three: Finding Your Feet**

Tuesday was probably one of the most dreaded days for the cadets: conditioning.

Conditioning meant running around outside, no matter the weather, doing boring, repetitive drills, and sweating your weight in water while wearing heavy uniforms. It was also the one class that could not be skipped because it meant doing the same drills alone on a Saturday.

Cloud was already dressed and awake by the time everyone else was sitting up in bed. Not only was he used to waking at dawn, but he'd had the opposite of a restful night's sleep. Dan was still considerably brighter than the rest of the boys, and leaped out the door to try to encourage the others to get up. Reno groggily sneered at his back.

Breakfast began in almost complete silence as was the usual because no one was quite awake enough for chatter. Cloud didn't look at his food but rather at the table. He would not admit to being nervous, but he felt pressured to compete at a higher level than the cadets. More than that though, today would really let him judge what else was different. After the materia experience he was feeling wary of his own body. At sixteen he hadn't been capable of melting doors. At twenty-eight he could have with effort. This caution was probably good, he considered, and he needed to be aware of his limits, but all the logic in the world couldn't stop the butterflies in his stomach.

By the end of breakfast people looked a little more awake. They'd had their coffee and some food in their stomachs, but all it did was remind them that today was Tuesday: Hell Day. Whatever fantasy they'd entertained of sick instructors (impossible, there was always a substitute who was worse), and days off were shot as soon as the whistle blew and they started their three-mile jog.

For two and a half hours straight, the cadets ran laps and sprints with intermittent breaks for push-ups and occasionally for water. Midgar's typical haze of smoke trapped the heat of the sun in a balloon around the city, and it was oppressive.

Cloud was accustomed to running for long hours and could easily take his mind away from it and think. AVALANCHE had frequently been without transport, so running or walking for sometimes hundreds of miles was their only option, and you quickly learned the right mindset to do it.

When the instructors made them stop for their first major break for water after that warm-up jog and a few more exercises to "get their hearts pumping", which was a laughable understatement, Cloud could feel his every muscle vibrating and his clothing was soaked. Despite the fact that his body screamed for rest and water, he'd kept up with the others, though it hadn't been easy. Cloud glanced around at the other cadets; most of them had their hands on their knees, red-faced and panting, even Reno, who looked as bad as Cloud felt. This kind of physical exertion was easier for the sons of miners or the like, people who had done hard labor before coming to Shinra. Many of the city recruits though had little experience with this kind of workout.

The blond turned away from Reno as Dan came to stand next to him. They both stood, still panting lightly as their hearts slowed down. Dan gulped down a couple more mouthfuls of water before dramatically flinging himself onto the hard-packed earth next to Cloud. The blond ignored Dan's behavior and looked out across the fields instead, staring at the way the air above the ground shimmered with such intense heat.

Dan didn't seem to mind that Cloud was paying no attention to him. "Thank goodness I'll focus on materia. No running. I can be fat and lazy and still electrocute people." Dan smiled into his words as Cloud glanced back down at him, wondering if he should mention that physical strength played a part in MP. But when he did glance down, Dan's eyes were glazed over, dreaming of SOLDIER one day. Cloud was still staring at his face a bit taken aback, aware that he had once looked and acted like that. It was like looking into the face of a naïve child.

Cloud turned away. He wasn't sure what he felt towards Dan, or even towards all these other hopeful _children_ who were pitting all their dreams on becoming tools of Shinra. It was all worth it to them now, but they would see it all one day and know that maybe they should have just stayed home on recruitment day.

Cloud shook his head from those morbid thoughts. He was perfectly aware of this truth though, and he wasn't dropping out. For many people—his eyes flickered to Reno very briefly—this was their only way out of their life. Cloud couldn't fault them for that, or for their dreams, no matter how naïve.

Break ended at the whistle, and the boys trotted back out on to the field. They started up the second half until lunch. It was focused on upper-body training, meant to strengthen arm, shoulder, and abdominal muscles so they had greater speed and agility in combat. Cloud was particularly motivated as soon as he realized twenty push-ups were pushing his biceps' limit. Annoyed, he gritted his teeth and did the full set of thirty-five, though his arms collapsed under him as soon as he stopped. He'd never be able to hold the buster sword if he could barely manage his own weight.

When they'd finally finished the morning sets, sweaty and exhausted, the air conditioning of the main facility for lunch was greeted with as much enthusiasm as the tired cadets could muster. The cafeteria stank of their sweat and grime, but they ate without complaint and only a bare murmur of talk. Cloud could barely taste his food.

They trooped out after lunch though, marginally more energetic, and spent the rest of the day was spent in various training activities, each as tiring as the next. They did the traditional steps through tires, various lifting exercises, climbing practice, how to run through mud, anything instructors thought might be useful, painful, or humiliating to do.

By the end of the day the blond and everyone else was ready to collapse. His muscles shook, and he trembled from the effort to walk back to the barrack. He gathered his clothes and headed to the showers like the others. The cadets' shower room was full of steam by the time he had wobbled his way there. He was about mid-way through the line forming along the wall, and it felt good to sag against the cool tiles. This workout, though more intensive than he'd anticipated, left him feeling lax and happy. Cloud had always loved a good workout, especially one that left his muscles loose and a little adrenaline in his system. It also helped when it came to sleep.

Shinra was pretty cheap when it came to their recruits. Second Class SOLDIERs got showers in their four-man rooms, but Third Class SOLDIERs had communal showers, and the cadet's bathing rooms were like the regulation army's ones. It was two long rows of showers, never enough for everyone, with thin walls between each showerhead. The drainage system was old, so water leaked all over the floors and pooled where the tiles had been broken. There were no doors on the stalls, only thin curtains that were completely see-through and moved aside when the water hit them. Most stalls didn't even have a hook for a towel.

Mirrors were located above the sinks. Cloud avoided looking at these as he walked to the vacated shower on the end. He stripped down in the tiny cubicle, pushed his clothes into the corner, which was thankfully still dry, and turned the water up hot. Every couple of minutes he peaked out of the stall. He felt terribly exposed without clothing, armor, a weapon, or even a proper shower curtain.

Cloud had remembered his experience the first time he showered with the other cadets—one of a handful of memories he'd managed to keep somehow. Nibelheim had been backwater compared to Midgar, and public bathing rooms had been unimaginable to a young Cloud. It had been awkward as he showered and changed as fast as possible, overly aware of how young and underdeveloped his body was, and how at ease the others appeared about their own. He hadn't become comfortable with it until after Nibelheim. After that it hadn't seemed so important.

Now Cloud had little care for his body beyond general health and cleanliness. Even now, Cloud wondered just what he'd been expecting his sixteen-year old body to look like back then. Hardened muscles would form with all the training, and at this age he was a bit scrawny, but there wasn't any fat except a little on his cheeks, and he had fairly broad shoulders. More importantly, Cloud knew full well what he'd come to look like with enough work.

He still had a couple of inches to grow, and seeing the flat of stomach without ridges of muscle and touching the thinness of his arms, he felt… young. And small. Cloud stood there under the water thinking about that, before reaching up to touch his unmarked left ear. Maybe getting that piercing again would make him feel older. Or even a tattoo. Being physically submerged in mako burned off tattoos, but SOLDIERs didn't actually skinny-dip in tubes of it like Cloud and Zack had been subjected to.

Cloud dropped that line of thought before it could go further. He finished his shower quickly, turned off the water, and pulled his clothes on before he left.

Back in the barracks it was quiet. The evenings were technically meant for self-improvement, but most cadets just slacked off and relaxed. Tuesdays were forever the exception though; instead of card games, parties, and loud music, nobody had the energy to do anything but sleep.

Cloud, lying on his bed, felt the looseness and relaxation from the hard workout slip away bit by bit. His high from the excellent workout had temporarily blinded him to the fact that, despite being able to keep up, he was one of the people who had probably worked the hardest to make sure of that. It made him irrationally angry and frustrated at his own weakness.

He knew better than to pin his hopes too high, he had thought, but the materia burst had given him some secret hope. The disappointment was bitter, he realized. He would probably be among the sorest of the cadets tomorrow, and that irked him. He wanted to move faster, to lift more, to practice with people_ on his level_ and not the cadets'.

That was the problem, he realized just as fast as he'd thought it. He wanted to be twenty-eight again with all that experience and strength. He wasn't that. He didn't have the levels, the power, the speed he'd had before. Mako and SOLDIER would give him a jumpstart, though nothing like what Hojo did. Nothing would make Hojo's invasive meddling worth it though. He would have to accept that he would grow stronger with time, but hopefully faster than before because he already had all the prior experience.

Instead of dwelling on how much he couldn't do, he tried to focus on what he _could_ do, now that he was sixteen again. He could get drunk now—granted he didn't really _like_ losing his inhibitions like that, but to even have the ability to get drunk was nice. Mako made it nearly impossible. He could train out old habits before they ever became muscle memory, like that forward reach he did sometimes when his opponent was smaller than him. That was a plus.

Cloud soon began to run out of pros though, and his list dwindled. He needed to sleep. The lights went out as Cloud drifted off faster sooner than he expected, though the other boys had turned in long before him.

That night he dreamed of vivid green again, of the tube he had lived five years of his life in. He woke early, feeling a spasm or two as he waited for dawn to break. Undiluted mako like what he had been exposed to pulsated with a steady rhythm. Hojo had called it the Planet's Heartbeat.

* * *

Wednesday began with Dan nearly falling off his bed. The brown-haired boy had always been up like a shot, but today he'd been too close to the edge of his top-bunk. He wobbled, before he found his voice and shouted in surprise, waking everyone up ten minutes before the alarm. Reno had blearily thrown some curses at him and gone back to sleep, the others following suit. This morning Dan was the second up though, Cloud had beat him by an hour.

They left for breakfast once everyone had gotten organized. Cloud had left in the middle of all the changing clothes and finding equipment, and was subsequently one of the first in line for food. He took his oatmeal and yellow apple to his seat, the same table he had sat at everyday. It was a fight with his body not to wince or move gingerly as he crossed the room to sit down. It felt like every muscle in his body had gone through a shredder. He'd done what he could in bed, relaxing and stretching, but it had only marginally helped.

The cafeteria slowly filled up as cadets from other recruitment dates shuffled in, along with the odd employee, and breakfast steadily grew louder as more voices joined into the few conversations. One particular group's voices grew louder than the rest though, disturbing the semi-peace. Two different barracks, neither Cloud knew well, were inevitably arguing. It happened pretty often and hardly was worth mentioning unless a physical fight broke out. Shinra cultivated this competition in order to encourage the recruits to do better, and it worked to a certain extent. The competition did manage to create a sense of a team in each barrack, or sometimes even by recruitment day. Each recruitment day was made up of four barracks, so thirty-two boys total, but most identified themselves by bunker and not date.

The eight boys in each bunker were not as close as brothers, but they did prove to prefer each other to boys in another group. This could hardly be considered teamwork, but the ties it created could sometimes motivate people to work together. This was especially apparent in the occasional fights that involved perhaps five or six people ganging up on one or two—inevitably the larger group was one bunker.

Breakfast ended at a standoff as the bell blew for class. Cloud trooped down with the rest of the cadets to martial arts training in a nearby building. This was a favorite for many who took to the hand-to-hand style of combat. It was also the chance to beat each other up without getting yelled at.

People milled around the room before the instructors came in. As usual when left alone, the cadets broke into little groups. Cloud moved to lean against one wall, watching them. Looking at them now, huddled in groups making fun of each other made Cloud a little annoyed. It was…childish to him. He saw it now without the secret envy and curiosity to know what they were saying, but as petty and frivolous. Who cared? Professor Hojo, a couple hundred feet underground, was turning innocent boys like them into monsters for fun. He glared at the boys that glanced over to him, but otherwise didn't move.

The two instructors made their entrance and cadets scrambled into their line. The gymnasium for martial arts practice was huge and gaping. The ceiling sported a number of beams and pillars stretching from end to end. SOLDIERs practiced balance at those treacherous heights sometimes to show off. More than one had fallen to only a couple of broken bones. The wonders of mako spared them from what would have been a sure death or at least severe injury for the un-enhanced. The room had a few windows lining one wall, almost near the ceiling. Otherwise it was markedly clear of any obstacles.

They did some warm-up laps and stretching to start off. Many cadets like Cloud were sore after all the exercise yesterday, and they could feel it through the running and stretching. Cloud rubbed his aching muscles, but knew that in time the soreness would fade. "No sympathy" was almost Shinra's motto. The instructors didn't care that a cadet could hardly even sit up that morning. They had to fight or leave.

Back in the line, the instructors demonstrated the two-part kata they had been practicing for the last two weeks, one offensive one defensive. All of the steps were familiar to Cloud, though they weren't geared for weapon use, so Cloud hadn't done it in maybe a decade. Bored, his attention wavered until they were split up into pairs.

Cloud stood facing an average cadet who looked almost exactly like the typical citizen in Midgar. Cloud's memory jumped as he got a good look at his face, suddenly remembering him from the regulation army. They had lockers next to each other, and the blond could remember, to his surprise, the nametag stamped on his uniform—James Merton. He had the short cut brown hair and slightly bulkier build, along with a bigheaded expression that spelled trouble. Cloud was hardly intimidated though. He had worked with Tifa to improve his basic martial arts skills, as they were lacking in comparison to his sword work. Though he didn't excel at it, Cloud could hold his ground in hand-to-hand combat if it came down to it.

There was one problem though. He could hold his ground… in the future. The blond wasn't entirely sure of where he stood in the general fighting department now. Clearly he was physically not where he used to be, but his materia use had proven to be off the charts. He had no muscle memory ingrained yet, but his brain knew what to do even though his body didn't. With practice he would hopefully be flying up the levels, though it wouldn't be good to get ahead of himself because nothing died faster than cockiness. So Cloud started off with the offensive kata the instructors had been reviewing, keeping is slow to make sure he recalled it correctly and being sure to keep a steady pace and soft hits.

Clearly James wasn't a total buffoon and knew the defensive kata well, and he repelled Cloud's attacks with ease. There was an arrogant laziness to the way he did that was a little aggravating. James sped up as they switched parts and he took the offensive, and Cloud matched him easily. When Cloud again took the offensive however, the blond slowed the speed back down.

In response to this, the other teen sneered at Cloud, who was concentrating so hard on controlling himself and reading his body's reactions. "Aw, come on. Make this at least a little fun for me." He drawled the words out, not even breathing hard. A younger Cloud would've been miffed at the snub, and this older one wasn't immune to it either.

After the tiring exercise yesterday, and the unresolved resentment toward his sixteen-year-old body, Cloud wasn't feeling in top shape. He was frustrated, tired, a little hungry, and stressed. James smirked at Cloud as he purposefully upped the speed as the blond took the defense. Now feeling really annoyed, Cloud channeled what anger he could and broke from the repetitive kata and took a shot at the cadet's open right bicep. It connected with a smack that jerked the brown-haired boy a bit. This was the hesitation Cloud waited for and he snatched the offensive from him.

From here he maintained their original speed, but spiced up the fight. Cloud kept the kata as an outline, but alternately broke rhythm to deviate, frequently landing hits. He made sure to keep the general pattern, though in a normal fight that would be an amateur's move—a pattern was very predictable after all. But no matter where he hit James, or how quickly he moved to strike, the other cadet managed to keep up and blocked what he could, thinking fast on his feet. It became increasingly clear to Cloud that he wasn't as quick or capable as he thought. His flexibility was lacking, so he couldn't physically always connect his strikes, and his speed, which had once overwhelmed many enemies, wasn't enough to even beat a cadet.

The instructors blew the whistle and they broke apart. Both of them were breathing heavily, and the other boy was staring at Cloud with wide eyes. The blond ignored him though. He had to take several deep breaths before he could unclench his fist from his pants. He shouldn't be angry. He needed to know where he was starting from, and he had that knowledge now. It was inevitable he would be far below what mentally felt like his level, but this _was_ his level now.

They took a break, and Cloud escaped from the crowd of his classmates with his water bottle, moving to an adjacent wall. As he took a drink, he noticed that one of the instructors had pulled Reno aside for some one-on-one, which had caught the other cadets' attentions.

Reno fought the way people in the slums do: like it was the last fight of their lives. It was unrefined, dirty, and clearly a jumble of different fighting styles all mixed together with poor technique, flashy moves, and a desperate kind of speed. Reno managed to frequently drive the instructors nuts with his complete lack of technique or respect for their carefully cultivated style.

This time, Reno was again reluctantly fixing the position of his feet and arms. He whined the entire time and constantly complained to the annoyed instructor. Fed up with the redhead, the man leaned over Reno's front leg, appearing to fix his opposite foot. Cloud's eyes just barely caught the quick movement of the Third using his mako-enhanced speed. One second Reno was looking down deviously at the crouched Third, then he was flat on his back. The SOLDIER had yanked his foot surreptitiously back, completely throwing off Reno's balance and sprawling him on the floor.

Everyone cheered the SOLDIER, who clearly looked triumphant at having finally put Reno in his place. The redhead got up, rubbing his tailbone, but didn't seemed hurt otherwise. On the contrary he gave the Third a winning smile. He seemed a good sport about it, but Cloud saw him grimace as they were sent back into pairs.

When lunch rolled around, Cloud was quite hungry, but the plate of slosh in front of him hardly tempted his appetite. Cadets weren't paid, so no one had enough money to buy food for every meal of the day in Midgar, and anyone who did wasn't about to join Shinra.

Classes resumed after lunch. Though Wednesday mornings were good fun, the afternoons were more mind-numbing lectures. Battle Strategy sounded like fun if it hadn't been just arrows on a whiteboard and recaps of Shinra's glorious victory against Wutai. Instead of actually focusing, Cloud put his mind to use in other fields. He knew the date, knew when Nibelheim happened, but he had no idea what else was happening at this point in the timeline. He hadn't seen Sephiroth and hadn't seen Zack since that brief moment in the hall, and Cloud could only recall bits and pieces of important events—and many of those he hadn't actually lived through, but were Zack's.

Which brought Cloud to his most frightening lapse in memory: when had he met Zack? This was particularly worrisome as Cloud wanted to have his friend back. Zack was also the best friend of Sephiroth, or as close as could be, and the key to meeting and potentially influencing the General. Not to mention it was much harder to save Zack when he didn't know what was going on with the man. They hadn't met, Cloud was sure, until training with real swords started. The wooden swords had been used in the beginning of training, and when they started practicing with the metal ones, Cloud could remember Zack.

As for Sephiroth, Cloud hadn't really had any interaction with him until the Nibelheim mission, of that he was sure. Zack had never introduced them until that point. But Sephiroth… There was something inherently wrong about everything in that man's life, something Cloud almost felt obligated to fix—especially since he knew more about it than probably anyone but Hojo. He had never blamed Sephiroth after he'd lost his mind, never abandoned the loyalty that somewhere in him was the redeemable man Cloud had always envisioned.

Yes, the chase had been partly for revenge over the destruction of his hometown. Yes, it had been to stop Jenova. But it had also been for Sephiroth, not just saving the world and doing the right thing.

If he messed up again and failed, he would be the broken-hearted kid who had his stuffed toy buried by the children in the snow again. He would be the little boy snubbed because his father left him a bastard again. He would be the teen unable to redeem himself after the bridge incident because everyone, even Tifa, would blame him again. He would be the man without his dream. Again.

The questions kept mounting all day. All of the various ways of failing, the problems of each step he had to take, the possibilities, everything that could go wrong. Dinner passed in a daze, as Cloud scoured his brain for every memory, every face, situation, and encounter from the SOLDIER exams all the way up to the Nibelheim mission. From beginning to end, Cloud wanted his feet straight, not flying by the seat of his pants as he had for most of his unfortunate life. That way, he might be able to actually do more. In his original life, the one before this time traveling, he had been able to come to unhappy terms with literally killing his hero, his dreams, his best friend, and his heart's sister.

But now Cloud could have more—more than he had let himself dream under the blankets as a little boy. The Planet never made things easy though, but he had _a chance_. The other boys were fast asleep as Cloud, inspired, slid off the bed and onto the floor of the barracks. Every drop of sweat in training was one less drop of blood in battle . Cloud put both hands flat on the floor and lifted his body up, positioning himself for press-ups. Sure, he couldn't do much now, but it would come with time.

He slept longer than the night before, though he still woke feeling trapped in a glass tube.


	4. A Chocobo Never Forgets

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Four: A Chocobo Never Forgets**

Fifteen, sixteen…

Thursday opened up with a rather bleary sun peaking into the bunker from the small windows high up on one wall of the room. It was quiet as the boys slept in undisturbed peace, with only the sound of soft breathing. Cloud, who welcomed the quiet, was out of bed and on the floor, doing more push-ups before the others got up.

Twenty-three, twenty-four…

He had been at it all morning, ever since the sun yawned above the horizon, doing sit-ups and stretching his muscles until a light sheen of sweat had been built up. Push-ups were the last thing on his mental list. The day was only just starting for the rest of the cadets, but Cloud's had long since begun.

Thirty-one, thirty-two…

Dan sat up slowly and blinked away the last vestiges of sleep as Cloud finished up his push-ups. The blond sat on the edge of his bed to take a breather, unconcerned if his bunkmate saw him or not. It might be out of character, but fitting in mattered a lot less to Cloud now then it did before.

Dan kept moving around on the top bunk, making the springs squeak. He had a weird habit of dressing under the covers; a baffling routine that he stoutly refused to explain, even as he managed to come out looking military appropriate. It had become a bunker mystery, and the butt of a number of jokes. It could not be denied, however, that nearly every boy in the barracks had tried this amazing feat at least once. Mostly everyone reappeared from under the blankets looking rumpled with something on backwards and their hair full of static. Cloud had never been able to accomplish it either, though he wouldn't admit to trying it.

Dan fidgeted for a little while longer, then finally called down to Cloud, "Move your feet or I'll land in your lap."

Cloud sat more fully on his bed as Dan landed on the floor hard enough to make Cloud wince. Silence was a valuable commodity not just in SOLDIER but outside it too. It tended to make Cloud antsy when someone near him was being particularly loud. Yuffie may have been a near-deafening whiner, but as a ninja she had been the quietest of them all.

Cloud silently wondered how she was doing right now. She must be…ten years old or so.

"It's sword fighting today, isn't it?" Dan, normally so upbeat and enthusiastic to a sickening point, was maybe half that level on some mornings. He was a self-proclaimed mage and preferred long-range weaponry and battle to "all-up-in-your-face brawling", as he put it.

The rest of the boys shuffled about as Cloud grunted the affirmative. He had been a closed-off sixteen-year old who'd been defensive and unfriendly out of chronic shyness and insecurity, now that he looked back on it. It didn't help that he wasn't physically as big as the other cadets and came from a backwater town. That was probably part of the reason why he'd been picked on—the other being that he had no allies. In Shinra, Cloud had been a lone man knocked off the field by a platoon of guys. Now he got the chance to be a one-man army. Or a least a one-man army and some friends.

"You know Dan, there are such things as swordmages." Dan perked up at Cloud's voice, and the blond noted the interest in the boy's eyes. Swordmages was a formal term for materia-users who wielded magic with swords. Regular weapons generally had materia slots that were used separately from the sword. The weapons used by these fighters also had these, but they could channel the energy down the blade. Essentially, the blade could be covered in fire or blast energy that could only be extinguished by will (or an opponent with similar skills).

Swordmages were quite rare though. Most SOLDIERs and mercenaries were unable to use the necessary techniques since they required a higher-level mastery of materia and swordplay than most people could achieve. It took a lot of control to perfect the exact amount of energy and how to direct it. Cloud had been fighting with AVALANCHE for some time before he was experienced enough to be capable of it. To his knowledge, only a handful of swordsmen could do it.

"What are they like? How do they do it? Are they mages that fight with swords too? Or are the swords the source of the magic, or do they create swords out of magic? What?" It was somewhat amazing Dan didn't choke on all his questions this early in the morning, and the blond was a little taken aback by the sudden reaction. Most mages didn't consider swordmages to be real magic-users, but he wasn't going to tell Dan that.

"Yeah, they channel materia through their swords and use like flaming swords and…stuff." It was the most basic way of describing it. Having too much information would make it suspicious, especially since the only swordmages in Shinra were probably Sephiroth, Zack, and maybe one or two other SOLDIER Firsts.

Dan started to speculate about how it was done, and then who could possibly teach him to do it, and whether there was anyone in history he could look up—"Other than the General, of course," he amended with an admiring smile. The conversation, mostly one-sided with occasional grunting by Cloud, who had said his piece, would have carried on to breakfast except the blond managed to slip away to the gym while Dan got his food. Cloud was not only tired of the conversation already, but he was anxious to pick up a sword again, and he could feel butterflies in his stomach. He sat in the gym waiting for the rest of the cadets to come because Shinra had smartly locked the weapons closet.

This gym was a bit brighter than the others, with a couple of larger windows facing the rising sun. It was the smallest weaponry-gym on the Shinra compound. Cloud had heard of how big the SOLDIER First Class one was. Apparently, they had their own separate place that was, according to rumor, huge and loaded with every kind of weapon imaginable. That might be an exaggeration, but if there was anyone Shinra lavished with a huge budget, it was the SOLDIER Firsts. Most cadets drooled at the very thought.

Cadets drifted in, talking quietly. The high roof was designed to muffle noise since the sound of clashing metal could grow to quite a din. Sword fighting was one of the favorite parts of training for Shinra cadets followed closely by guns. Sephiroth's influence in that area was apparent in the number of boys that wanted to take up the long broadsword. Not that there was anything close to Masamune in terms of length, but Masamune wasn't a normal blade.

More boys filtered in, and Cloud easily spotted Reno who quickly locked eyes with him and swaggered over. "Yo, skipping breakfast to keep your girlish figure? I heard the army's got worse rations then us, and they get paid too." He smirked down at the seated Cloud, but despite the words it wasn't really mocking. Reno's posture was slack and comfortable, no hard lines that gave away any preparation for an attack. Cid was the same way. If he insulted someone, he would tense a bit, just in case they swung at him. If he spoke normally however, he slouched and relaxed. Reno, for some odd reason, seemed to be almost been making conversation with him.

The blond stared hard at Reno, and the redhead met his eyes steadfastly. If Reno was trying to pull anything he was an excellent liar, but Cloud had already known that. They finally the stare broke when someone called Reno over. Cloud looked back into the gym, clearly telling Reno that he didn't want anything to do with him. Whatever his game was, Cloud had a lot bigger things on his plate.

Reno might have said something, but it was lost in the shouting as their instructor came in and starting giving them orders. First sprints, then basic stretching, then one of the three main katas to get everybody started.

His group of cadets had not yet started practicing with actual swords since they were still relatively new to the military. The cadet season depended on which recruiting day they came on. There was one in spring and one in autumn, and it only determined which bunkers and when the curriculum started for that group. Cloud had come in the autumn and since then one spring had gone by. It was late summer now, meaning he had been here almost a year. The exams for his group of cadets would be in late fall, in just a few months. Until they were deemed ready, Shinra kept them firmly on the wooden swords. Cloud couldn't suppress his disappointment when the instructors pulled out the telltale box.

They were handed out down the line, and each boy complained about his, all generally sharing the same criticism: they weren't real. Cloud's wooden sword was chipped in some places and scratched all over with a nearly square end that had clearly been slammed straight down into the solid steel floor many times before. It was light, easy to handle, and smaller than a broadsword. It felt odd in Cloud's hand, as if it had no place being there, and was uncomfortable to work with as he swung it around a couple of times. The balance was totally off, and he could probably break it in half if he put enough force behind it. First Tsurugi was a heavy six-piece work of art that molded to Cloud's hand and individual style. In his opinion this cheap cardboard cutout couldn't even be called a sword.

The instructors ignored the muttering and grumbling they probably got every time and split everyone into pairs. Cloud sized up his partner who was only a bit taller than him but stockier. His name was Devin, and he lived in the bunker across from Cloud's. The boy was not particularly good at anything, rather average across the board from what he'd heard and remembered. The extra weight would give him momentum and strength, but his agility would likely be lacking in comparison to Cloud's. They began by just mimicking the katas, one person blocking and the other attacking.

For Cloud, it was like riding a bicycle. Everything starting coming back to him as he slowly started parrying, blocking, and swinging at his opponent. His younger muscles were unfamiliar with the moves, but the natural feeling and his own confidence in it smoothed it out into one flow. Even if the sword was a fake, the opposition not a real challenge, and he was in a controlled environment, there was still a thrill to fighting, something he had already begun to miss. Going days without it made the first couple of his swings and parries near blissful. This was a dance Cloud knew by heart.

They'd barely gotten going before the door to the gym opened and everyone turned to see the latecomer. When Cloud's eyes locked on him the wooden sword in his hand went lax and the butterflies in his stomach that had vanished returned in force.

Zack moseyed into the room like he was on a coffee break, which Cloud thought he might be, completely unbothered by the number of eyes on him. No matter how oblivious he seemed Cloud knew Zack was perfectly aware of the whole room. Zack Fair was a First Class SOLDIER, and Lieutenant General at that, and he didn't miss much.

He came into the cadet sword class with his usual charm, smiling at everyone and greeting the instructor, who looked like he wasn't sure if he should be admiring or peeved by the interruption. A murmur rippled through the room as the black haired man positioned himself near a sparring pair who had frozen when he walked in. They resumed when he gestured for them to continue, though they were noticeable tenser. It didn't take long for Zack to switch to teacher-mode, pushing a foot out to correct someone's position and taking the wooden sword from him to demonstrate as they worked. It had everyone captivated and very nervous at the same time, Cloud especially.

The blond felt like a bowstring ready to pop; he was positively thrumming with adrenaline and nerves. He hadn't felt this way since the last time he'd put his life at serious risk, and it was overall a pleasant, almost missed sensation, even as he felt like if he got drawn any tighter he'd throw up.

Gradually the other cadets returned to their practice, the original instructor barking at those who didn't. Cloud's eyes continued to return the SOLDIER across the room from him though, and he couldn't focus on the exercise. With all his attention centered on Zack, it let an older, more instinctive part of Cloud slide to the forefront of his mind. His eyes darted between his partner's blade and how Zack's calloused hands slid another's grip to the proper position. He and Devin restarted their match, and this time Cloud's arm moved on autopilot. They had been at an easy stalemate for ten minutes before Cloud began to unconsciously press his advantage. He was only minimally aware that he was taking steps forward and walking Devin off the mat. More often than not his eyes drifted back over to Zack as the SOLDIER made rounds around the room.

Zack came to a pair just twenty feet away and behind Devin, and the blond's attention on his partner, minimal at best, was pretty much gone. He was so focused on Zack, that Cloud jerked before lifting his blade arm to block the incoming blow. He'd been drifting out of the kata just long enough for his partner to retaliate and almost strike him. As Cloud finally looked at him properly, he realized the kid was sweating and breathing hard and asking something about switching roles. The blond gave him an apologetic nod, barely noticing his own perspiration as Zack drifted a little closer, smiling and giving a thumbs up to the cadet who did something right.

They started up again, but Cloud's focus wavered to the SOLDIER again, even turning his head slightly when the First moved off to the side. He wasn't really paying any attention to Devin, but still managing to keep up. He didn't notice the deepening frown on Devin's face, or he would have been prepared when Devin decided to stop being nice and take advantage of his partner's distraction. The other cadet was determined not to let a First Class SOLDIER see him made a fool of.

Quickly, he tried to push Cloud back enough to go on the offensive, which proved fruitless at first; Cloud just kept repeating the same stupid pattern, totally unaware that he and Devin were supposed to be switching off. Devin, fed up now and worked up from irritation and sweat, broke stride and took a shot at something new. Following the order of the kata, Cloud made a hit at Devin's right arm that should have been blocked. However, Devin instead had feinted left and swung his arm out to hit Cloud's unprotected left shoulder.

It would have connected, considering Cloud's arm was intent upon Devin's right side and his eyes were constantly drifting away, but the blond's eyes snapped to him and the sword flipped suddenly to knock away Devin's strike. It was faster than the cadet could see. The sword had been in Cloud's right hand cutting through the air toward where Devin's shoulder should have been, then suddenly whacking his wooden blade with a hard sound that caused the wood to vibrate dangerously. Devin almost dropped it in surprise.

"Nice one. Quick too."

Recognizing the voice instantly, Cloud lowered his sword quickly and looked away from the First Class. Cloud was shaking a bit as he tightened his grip on the sword to try and get better control of himself. He felt an irrational self-consciousness around Zack, distinctly aware of his youth. He didn't feel at all equal to him like he had finally once the triplets were gone, and Cloud could feel his posture and entire being were radiating that.

"Um…thanks." Cloud muttered it almost under his breath, afraid that even his own words would make the beautiful image of a smiling Zack disappear forever. How long had it been since he had seen Zack this clearly? Not since his Geostigma had been cured. Ever since then, Zack's smile had begun to fade as Cloud's spotty memory took its toll. The blond could feel a deep ache in him as Zack stopped smiling for a moment to lightly admonish Devin for making that move.

"No matter how clever, you're supposed to stick to the kata. Those are your directions. It's like a mission. Don't take a coffee break when the boss says no, right?" Zack smiled brightly at a down-looking Devin and winked conspiratorially at Cloud. "No worries. Sometimes, it's worth it to break away from the norm and do something a little different." At this comment, he was looking at Cloud. "Now let's see you two again, eh?"

Cloud and Devin took up position back on their mat. Cloud's blade shook like a light wind was running through it. He was a mess as they started up again, this time Cloud taking the defensive side. Zack's experienced eye followed the movements of the swords, and Cloud could almost feel the roving eyes on his skin. Devin looked determined as he fought, clearly trying to show off by besting Cloud, though he too had a white-knuckled grip on his sword.

Devin must have been a rather poor swordsman, even by cadet standards, because a clumsy and very distracted Cloud still managed to fend him off. The sweat pouring down Cloud's face was hardly from exertion, but from the feel of Zack's eyes following his every movement.

"Break."

Zack put his hand up and caught the blades easily as they crossed. Both boys relaxed immediately and stepped back. "Don't let go of your weapon. If I were an enemy that surprised you, I'd have two weapons and you'd have none. Now," at this, Zack looked Devin over once then more critically looked at Cloud. "You both look good, just need some new moves and experience. If you don't mind Spike, bring your sword and come over here."

Zack returned the fake swords and led Cloud away. Cloud felt a cold pit fall in his stomach and a giddy flutter in his heart simultaneously. He didn't know what to feel. _Oh Planet…_

Zack led them off to the side of the gym. Maxwell and Reno were going at it a little ways away from them, both sweating and using all manner of cheap and innovative moves instead of the kata to one-up each other. It was an interesting but totally unrefined battle, and several cadets were poorly pretending to spar while actually watching them go at it. Cloud's gaze skimmed right over them, his concentration shot. Zack was standing two feet away from him and the man's glowing eyes were watching him.

"Pick up your sword and take up a ready stance." Cloud did as ordered, falling into his ordinary fighting stance. "Good, now prepare yourself."

Zack came at him with some easy moves at first, testing the waters of Cloud's ability. Cloud, still shaking and his stomach doing wobbly-woops in his throat, felt a little unwell and dizzy as some of the familiar swings Zack took mirrored his own. A particularly strong wave of vertigo made Cloud sway precariously mid-block. Zack put down his own wooden sword and caught Cloud's arm to steady him.

"You alright Spike?" Cloud nodded and leaned forward into Zack a bit as the wooziness passed. Zack was warm, not breathing hard at all, and he smelled faintly of his familiar soap Cloud had liked so much. The feel of Zack's hand gripping his arm was hot. "Whoa! Be careful." Zack pushed Cloud back into a full standing position, righting him. The blond stumbled a bit and resumed his defensive stance. There was a full-blown blush on his face, and he realized how stupid he was to practically dig his nose into Zack's shirt.

"Watch your step blond, you look a little weak." Maxwell was an unhappily familiar face in Cloud's world, with orange-blond hair and biceps as thick as Cloud's neck. He had been one of the guys who failed the exam and ended up bullying Cloud in the regulation army for being there with him. Now, soaked in sweat, he had lumbered over to watch Cloud look stupid fighting a First Class SOLDIER. Reno stood off to the side and a little behind, somewhere between an eavesdropper and a part of the conversation. He was silent though and let Maxwell do the talking instead.

"Hey! Totally unnecessary," Zack said, as much to Cloud's surprise as Maxwell's. "Spike might be your teammate in SOLDIER—if you make it—and you better get along now." Zack's black hair combined with his puffed up chest, looked more like a porcupine than ever as he defended Cloud. Embarrassed, Cloud looked away at the SOLDIER comment. Reno stayed silent but his eyebrows shot up, and Maxwell looked like he'd swallowed a frog.

Zack turned back to Cloud and raised his sword again. He was smiling at Cloud, who felt much younger and lighter than before. It put an answering upturn to Cloud's lips, and that made Zack's smile a little wider and warmer. "Let's try that again, eh?"

And so the pair started again, taking up positions and swinging at each other. Cloud was still feeling unsteady and a little overwhelmed by Zack's concentrated interest on him. It was like an overdose, and the blond felt like all his actions were a little sluggish and messy because of it. He took a hard smack to the side with the flat of Zack's wooden blade for his disorientation.

"Sorry Spike, didn't mean to hit you so hard. You okay? You look kinda glassy-eyed." Zack was leaning curiously closer to Cloud. Startled, Cloud took an abrupt step back. The sudden looming face that turned into a blinding white grin made him stumble back even further. The blond's recovery was a bit slow, but Zack just laughed as he straightened. "You look like a ruffled chocobo, you know that?"

Cloud stood up a bit taller, unconsciously feeling miffed at the description. He had been a bit clumsy and out of it, but he's survived in one piece and he'd _met Zack_. And Zack was the same as Cloud had always remembered him: pleased, cheerful, and just the old amazing Zack.

The morning session ended a couple minutes after Zack and Cloud finished. The First had gone off before the bell rang; probably realizing his coffee break had stretched to over an hour. Cloud left class behind the others, his high from such close contact with Zack beginning to wear off, especially as some of the boys shot him looks.

Cloud skipped lunch then, feeling downcast as he began to digest exactly how far he had to go. He was both pleased and disappointed with how the session had gone. He had gotten to see Zack, be singled out by him and even exchange a couple of words. Nothing strange had happened, no knowledge given away, so there was nothing to be anxious about if people starting asking questions—Cloud really didn't want to field questions about his sanity while figuring out what to do about the future.

What made Cloud upset though, and the reason he'd skipped the next class to work through it, was that_ nothing _had happened. He had been the only cadet to practice one-on-one with Zack, but he hadn't left any lasting impression by Cloud's estimate. He'd come off as an underachieving, clumsy cadet. It embarrassed him, and it made him more determined to at least prove himself worth Zack's friendship again. Plus, Zack was his stability, even after he'd been gone, a bright spot in Cloud's desolate mind. Now Cloud had a chance at a new one—a real, touchable, breathing Zack.

* * *

"…So I defended the kid. He's got the best angsty frown, I swear. I felt bad for him the second I walked in, but he acts standoffish from what I could tell, and the others probably don't like it. I wonder if that's why he's been overlooked? I saw him walk his partner right off the mat and it didn't even look like he was trying! And then when we were fighting he started to glaze out on me, but he kept going just fine. He was new to it obviously, but knew what he was doing, you know, fairly confident even if he didn't look it. It was just…smooth."

"Zackary, get your feet off my desk."

"Right. Sorry General."

Zack was seated on the only spare chair in Sephiroth's office. The immaculate room was in shades of office-gray and white with a plain carpet and blank walls. The large desk was stacked high with folders with a computer peeking out from behind them. There was a bookshelf of untouched books located beside one massive window behind the desk letting the evening sun shine in. The General was the centerpiece—strong and emotionless, drawing all the attention in the room. His silver hair shone almost white as the sun hit it, let loose until it touched the floor. His coat and sword were placed against the adjacent wall, and the General had rolled up the sleeves of his loose collar shirt. Sephiroth's aristocratic face rested in one ungloved hand as he attempted to do paperwork.

He looked bored out of his mind.

Zack had commandeered the chair the moment he came back from a much-extended copying trip, where he never actually copied the documents Sephiroth had given him. The General was in the middle of paperwork—though he had probably noticed the time—but Zack had launched into his story about the blond cadet the moment he was in the room before Sephiroth could say a word. He barely seemed to pay attention, but the man's progress in his paperwork was considerably slower than if he were normally tuning Zack out.

"Anyway, he didn't do anything amazing, not like a prodigy or anything. He just had this way about him, like he was in control. Which is funny because he looked scared stiff when I pulled him aside. Obviously he was nervous, but he still fought pretty well, and didn't leave any holes in that crappy kata. He had the whole thing covered, you know, turning his hand the right way to move the sword faster, shifting his weight, the works. They don't teach how to read between the lines of kata like that to cadets."

Sephiroth looked up at Zack's repeated exclamation, straight into the Lieutenant General's eyes, and the First froze for a second. Sephiroth was listening—really listening, by the way he was looking at him. And he was interested, if this near-brazen act for the General meant what Zack thought.

"No openings?"

"None. They don't teach you how to look for that stuff 'til you work with the real swords, and even then it takes a sharp mind to do it in practice. I didn't pick up on that until well into my first year as a Third." Zack broke from his frozen surprise to happily confirm it. He was terribly pleased that Sephiroth seemed to be coming around. "He was really doing it until he zoned out and started to repeat the same moves. We stopped doing that kata early on but Spike just knew where to go and how to move his body right, even if he was a little awkward sometimes."

Sephiroth, still listening, abandoned his paperwork for his computer. He pulled up the cadet files as Zack kept up the commentary. "What was his name?"

"Cloud Strife. I checked with the instructors. Weird name, huh?"

"Hm." Sephiroth didn't answer as he searched the name and came up with a picture of a blond boy, hair all over the place. He was fair-skinned and rather short, according to his basic profile and from some out-of-the-way town. His bright blue eyes and hair dominated his picture. His face was set in a stubborn glare at the camera in a picture of teenage rebellion. He was young, and nothing about him seemed deceptive. The General clicked past the photo after a pause and skimmed over the grades: all average, and with physical abilities just below average. Nothing jumped out at him.

"Anything?" Zack discreetly tried to put his feet back on the desk as Sephiroth clicked around Cloud's profile. As the second booted foot got to the top of the desk the General looked directly at him, eyes not even flickering to the boots on his desk.

"Nothing of interest." He looked a bit puzzled for a second, just barely. Zack just grinned.

"Well then, I suppose I'll just have to figure out Spike for myself. I'll find him later."

Sephiroth didn't say anything, but flagged the profile. He made a pointed look at Zack, silently dismissing him from the room. Zack, unperturbed, saluted his General with a huge smile and left the office.

Sephiroth rubbed his temples and took one more glance at Cloud's profile. Then he closed the window and glared at the obvious scuff left by Zack's boot on the edge of one of his papers.

* * *

Dinner was Cloud's first meal of the day, and his stomach rumbled happily as he chewed on the tough meat. The rest of the day had gone by without a hitch, though Cloud had brooded through most of it. Maxwell hadn't bothered him after Zack's interference, though he could hear the whispers across the room. It hardly troubled Cloud the way it once would have, though it still irked him a tiny bit. Immature was the word that came to mind.

The blond sat alone at one corner of the military cafeteria, his back to the lunch line. It was hard to be inconspicuous with his hair and he'd long given up trying, so Zack's sharp eyes found him almost instantly.

The SOLDIER approached the table where Cloud sat, taking his time to weave through the tables to wave to a couple Thirds he recognized. He felt a little anxious about the upcoming conversation, but it was necessary. He just felt a little bad for invading the kid's personal history like that. Zack had used his clearance as Lieutenant General to pull up Cloud's profile after he'd left Sephiroth's office. He'd didn't really like doing things that way but well…there hadn't been much information there anyway. Still ten feet away, the blond turned around to look at him. For a moment, Zack could hear nothing of the chattering and clanking of the lunchroom occupants as he realized Cloud had glanced at him with an open expression of pleasure, something that seemed out of place on the stonier face he'd seen just that morning. For just one second, something deep inside that guarded face had come alive, and Zack felt a great welling of sympathy all of a sudden. Where it came from, what caused Cloud to be so closed off that he even sat alone at a big meal like dinner, Zack had no idea, but it came nevertheless.

Just as swiftly, Cloud's face morphed back to his stoic one; the face that made Zack feel sad, but not with the same intensity as before. There was an edge of coldness to him—a defensive look that had to have been bred from years of abuse—bullies most likely, if not something more sinister back home. That was what made him feel sad, he figured, this need of the blond's to protect himself indiscriminately. So the SOLDIER put on his best smile for Cloud, trying to be disarming and fun. "Hey Spike!"

Zack looked perfectly happy, but there was some strain that Cloud could sense from him. He dismissed it though, assuming that he was just projecting what he felt onto Zack. He certainly did feel nervous since the First had just brazenely walked up to him in the crowded cafeteria. Nothing good could come of that.

Zack was looking at him a bit funny now. "Uh… Spike? You there?"

Startled, Cloud sat up a bit straighter. He hadn't realized he hadn't answered Zack's hello. "Um…"

"It's alright. Let's head back to the barracks if you're done. It's loud in here."

Cloud shrugged, failing to hide how tense he was. It made him nervous that Zack was here after the swordplay class, and he stood up a bit too fast from the table, knocking his knee on the edge. Feeling incredibly uptight and now embarrassed, Cloud stiffly threw out his unfinished meal and followed the First out of the cafeteria, ignoring the surge in whispers around them. He refused to feel any excitement that Zack was here especially to see him, enough to even pull him out of a meal. It could mean any number of things, good or bad. Maybe… maybe he had given himself away?

The very thought made Cloud shudder and miss a step in the hallway outside the cafeteria. Zack looked back at him quizzically, but Cloud didn't notice and kept walking. If Zack knew, or at least guessed at Cloud's ability, then Cloud would have to come up with some kind of explanation. Any thought of Zack's involvement in this…mission, repulsed him. If Zack never had to know what had happened to him, what had become of his friends, then Cloud would be happy.

He put his head down and resumed walking, making sure not to look at Zack as the First slowed down so they could walk next to each other. Cloud's shoulders were tight as Zack looked down at him. The blond really wasn't all that tall, but he was clearly agile for a boy of his age given what he'd seen in class. He didn't have a lot of muscle on him yet, but he was thin and growing still, hardly sixteen.

Zack also noted Cloud's mood and how hunched down he looked. Being singled-out by a First Class SOLDIER was something every cadet wished would happen to him, which is partially why Zack had caught him in the cafeteria. It was a statement of strength and promise to be acknowledged like that, Zack knew, and the SOLDIER hoped whatever bullies there were would back off and Cloud could be a little more confident in himself. Which is why Zack would have thought Cloud would be thrilled and nervous at once, not brooding and almost afraid.

They reached the cadet barracks and Cloud stepped in first, holding the door for Zack. Nothing had been said on the way there as they both weighed what to say, and Zack stretched as he indicated for Cloud to sit down. His quick glance around the room confirmed the generic cadet bunker, with all sorts of clothing and things strewn about, lewd pictures on the walls, and the lingering smell of dirty laundry, feet, and unwashed bodies. The blond perched himself on the edge of his bed in a corner, looking ready to jump if Zack attacked. The SOLDIER instantly noticed how much neater his bed was, with the sheets pulled up and folded down, though not tucked in. He could see the end of a box under the bed, but otherwise there seemed little in the way of personal possessions, which Zack found rather interesting.

He could only stretch for so long, so Zack flopped down next to Cloud, both on the edge of the blond's bunk, resting their arms on their knees. "Relax Spike. I'm not going to bite you." Zack judged Cloud's face, which was white and hard. Cloud looked ready for anything, but mostly ready to be told he was being kicked out. Zack disliked that look, especially on someone like Cloud's face. "I hated these beds. They're the worst, I'm telling you. Third Class share rooms with four people, and that stuff is way better than this." Zack rambled on a bit about the beds and general Shinra accommodations. It did the trick as Cloud ran a hand through his hair, unconsciously relaxing a little as Zack did nothing to attack him. "Well, I bet your home is a lot better than anything Shinra can offer."

Cloud looked a bit wary at the subtle suggestion to speak. "…I guess so. It was colder there though."

"Where'd you live?" Zack already knew, courtesy of Cloud's profile, but he didn't want to creep out the blond.

"Nibelheim. Up in the Nibel Mountains on the Western Continent."

"You must have been freezing! Mountains, sheesh. Gongaga's all tropical and hot. Humid, humid, humid." Zack went on a bit longer about Gongaga, but he could see Cloud losing some of that relaxed edge. The blond knew something was up, as the conversation seemed to go nowhere. "We had some funky monsters every now and then, but nothing too dangerous. Don't dragons live in the Nibel Mountains? I don't think I've ever been deep enough out there to run into anything too strong, though I'd love to take a swing at a dragon. Ever seen one?"

Zack was completely nonchalant as he asked this, and Cloud scrutinized the question for a second. He had only rarely fought the dragons with AVALANCHE, they being few and number and very hardy. They were ferocious beasts and not usually worth the effort simply because they were so difficult to kill, and he certainly never fought them before coming to Shinra. Zack's relaxed attitude about it was almost…faked. His shoulders were too loose, body too long as he leaned back, casually looking around the room. Everything about him screamed relaxed.

"No. They were further up in the mountains."

"Really? Then maybe you've fought some of the other monsters? I know a lot of those areas are just crawling, and being near a reactor doesn't help." Cloud just shook his head, and Zack looked even more curious. "See Spike, it's just… I thought you might have some experience in swordplay. Or at least done some fighting before, just stuff you pick up." Zack scooted a bit closer to Cloud on the bed and hunched over slightly to avoid bumping his head on the top bunk. Like Cloud the spikes of his hair folded over because there wasn't enough space. "When we sparred it seemed like you knew what you were doing in general. Like it was familiar to you."

Cloud was looking down at the bed as he swallowed before speaking. "Not really."

"Really?" Zack's disbelief was evident. Cloud seemed to have a talent for short answers, not unlike someone else Zack knew.

"I just did what came naturally." Cloud mumbled and shrugged, turning away slightly. The words had come out too fast and too softly. Zack's gaze was probably making him nervous. The SOLDIER felt a little sadistically satisfied that Cloud felt as uncomfortable as Zack was frustrated.

Cloud didn't know why he felt fear clamoring at his throat at the thought of telling Zack any semblance of the truth. After what he thought about in the hallway, he revolted against the idea of changing anything about their tentative friendship here. Who knew what Zack would think if Cloud told him anything? Insane? Dangerous? Or worse, what if he tried to help and got caught in the crossfire?

Zack mused on how to angle this conversation—_not_ an interrogation, he reminded himself firmly—for a couple of seconds. Direct attacks weren't working, and Zack figured Cloud was too defensive to come in hard, he'd only respond by getting colder like Sephiroth. He had to come at it another way.

"Well, if you haven't fought before then you should at least go for the sword. You've really got talent with that." Cloud paused before answering, seeming to fall for the change in subject. It was clear that he already felt better that Zack looked to be buying his story. The First decided to play along for the moment, but sometime later he would get the full story out of the blond. When they knew each other a little better, he hoped Cloud would confide in him.

"I do want to use the sword."

"Then go for it! I use one, mine's called Galatine, and she's beautiful. Heavy though, but lifting her gets easier and you can see your reflection on her when she's been shined. She's a buster sword and one-of-a-kind. Just gorgeous." Cloud soaked it in as Zack described his sword and some of the fancier moves he'd done with it. He really got into it, and Cloud was secretly pleased that he wasn't the only one who adored his sword like a lover. "Buster swords are awesome, Cloud. They're intimidating for one, so half the time you just have to stand there 'til people's knees start to buckle, and they really kick ass in a fight. You should try one once you're a SOLDIER. Masamune is probably the hardest thing to wield besides the buster though. Six-feet of killing machine, Spike! I don't know how the General does it."

Cloud was startled out of his own reverie about First Tsurugi when Zack mentioned SOLDIER and then Sephiroth. The First was staring off into space, languishing love on his sword as he compared Masamune and Galatine, with blatant bias on Galatine's part. The story got ugly though, when Zack mentioned some of the kills Sephiroth had done with his sword.

"During Wutai, that sword had about fifty names—all bad things too. Scared the people real bad. During fighting, it was terrible. Stuff I hope you never have to see, Cloud." Cloud would have almost snorted if he thought Zack wouldn't have noticed. "That thing is long enough to run though a couple of men, and I'm sure it did at some point." At this point Cloud's face lost any humor as he unconsciously rubbed his left shoulder. The selfsame sword Zack was going on about had run through Cloud multiple times actually. It put a serious damper on the conversation.

"I'm sure Sephiroth would like to run it through a couple of men now and then." Zack kept on going, oblivious or at least acting it, to the drop in Cloud's mood. "He can be really crabby. Mostly from lack of sleep I think. I'm always finding him at the office in the early morning, working. Sometimes even on Saturdays. Workaholic, I'm telling you." Zack had effortlessly moved subjects again, and this one had really caught Cloud's attention. He'd been shifting through subjects to see Cloud's reaction, reading a fellow sword-lover right, though one who didn't look much eager for war. Then again, Sephiroth inevitably had to be tied in. At this, Zack's lips turned down for a second; he was disappointed that Cloud seemed to partake of the lusting after the General that everyone in Shinra participated in.

Cloud spoke up though before the feeling could take any real root. "I'm sure mako makes it hard to take sleeping pills, but…" Zack turned his whole body to look at Cloud who was looking down at the bed again. "Maybe, well…" Cloud blushed a bit and looked away. Before Zack could get a real look at the younger Cloud, the blond drew his face into a straight expression, trying to hide his evident discomfort. "I drink hot chocolate when I can't sleep." Tifa had made great hot chocolate, Cloud remembered, with just the right mix of powder and milk. It made him a little nostalgic, and he decided that after Zack left, he would go get some cheap hot chocolate from the canteen.

Zack just grinned down at Cloud who looked distinctly uncomfortable, a little red left on his cheeks though he steadfastly stared at the wall. Zack was pretty sure making eye contact with Cloud would trigger an even deeper blush. "Hot chocolate, huh? Maybe I'll mention it to him." He winked at Cloud who, after a beat, let out a low, nervous chuckle.

Zack kept up his talk about the General with Cloud for a little while more. It had been a new version of the same talk for Zack, who was closer to the General than most. Many SOLDIERs often asked what it was like, and Zack hated to feed their starved adoration for Sephiroth. Cloud never asked for anything of the sort, in fact, he seemed happier just hearing about how Zack had tricked the mighty General into eating rare Wutain mussels and gave him his first (and only) experience with food poisoning. Cloud seemed to appreciate the human side of Sephiroth and now the hero, and when Zack strayed back to Masamune he could see Cloud's flagging interest.

Not that Zack would have expected it of someone as modest as Cloud, but the blond got points for not asking about the man's sexual escapades, which usually put Zack in a bad mood for the rest of the day. He hated to hear about any man's wet dreams about Sephiroth, who was so much more than just some object to be fantasized about. Cloud also didn't ask for any of his favorite foods, flowers, or other silly things. Zack only humored those questions because he liked chocolate and Sephiroth could be rather inventive on how to get rid of flowers or other gifts. This went above and beyond burning them. They could end up in cafeteria food, official reports to the President, in the Turks' personal apartments, and on Hojo's desk.

The only thing that broke up the peace and comfort of their conversation were the voices outside the door. Dinner was over and many cadets were coming back to relax. Zack stood up and stretched, surprised at how nice that conversation had been and just how little he had gotten out of Cloud. They'd talked about the General most of the time, or more like Zack telling Cloud stories, and Cloud adding in a little commentary as he relaxed. Zack decided, in that moment, that to get more information would obviously mean more drastic measures.

"Spike, this morning I never got around to copying all the stuff the General dumped on me. If you help me carry it when I make those copies now, I'll get you some good Wutain for dinner tomorrow."

Cloud looked really surprised there. It made him look his own age, which shocked Zack a bit too once he realized it. The SOLDIER had felt like he was speaking to a fellow SOLDIER, not a barely legal cadet.

"As long as you don't get me seafood."

Zack grinned, practically lighting up the room. "Excellent! Then let's go, Spike. Copy room is in the main headquarters, so let's mosey!"

Cloud's answering half-smile was enough to make Zack almost skip out the door.


	5. Errant Errand

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Five: Errant Errand**

The copy room turned out to be the busiest place Cloud had ever been to. It resembled the entire seven blocks of the Midgar marketplace condensed into one room with a dozen huge machines taking up more than half the space. Graphs and charts of all colors for finance and business were strewn about while harassed employees were digging through the piles to find the own papers. It was utter chaos.

There was really no order to the lines at the copy machines. Whoever pushed and shoved their way to the front and slammed their papers on the screen first won. Interns stood gaping, knees knocking, on the fringes of the room.

Cloud moved a bit closer to Zack, feeling a little overwhelmed.

Zack though was perfectly calm as he shoved his way through the hectic secretaries. Cloud followed behind him, staying close. He was afraid he would lose Zack in the confusion if he didn't. Nonetheless it took a far shorter amount of time than Cloud expected to navigate the bedlam. Zack flashed some female secretaries a couple of flirty smiles, discreetly nudging people who didn't move fast enough, joked with a janitor who was cleaning up an ink spill, and got his fifty packets and reports copied in about ten minutes. This charisma and charm was a part of Zack Cloud secretly wished he had a little more of.

They wove their way out of the mess again, Cloud now burdened with a stack of files, each at least ten pages thick, topped with a couple of manila folders stamped with official seals. Cloud's eyes could just barely see over the top, though it wobbled precariously if he walked too quickly or someone jarred him. Zack had two packets under one arm and was leading Cloud cautiously forward, covering him from the worst of the crush. The black-haired man turned his head to Cloud and tried shouting above the mayhem of voices and machines, but whatever he said Cloud couldn't hear. They finally exited into the windowless hallway, Cloud's ears ringing as the thick carpeting absorbed the sound of their boots clunking along.

"Is it always like that?" Cloud asked after he felt he could hear again.

"Pretty much," Zack said. "It's worse during the day though. This is the beginning of the night shift though, that's why it's so busy."

The hallway ended at three elevators. One of them was the glass elevator many cadets dreamed of being able to ride in one day. Cloud shared no such aspirations now; he had his fill of that elevator and all the floors it could reach at the beginning of AVALANCHE's journey.

Through the glass elevator the rest of Shinra continued to run efficiently. Cloud could see the people on the first floor dotted all over the place running around like ants. The roof in the entrance hall was impressive, rising up like a bald shiny dome where it met a focal point at a solid gold chandelier. The President and his son sat on the topmost floor, only reachable via the glass elevator. There, lush carpets and soft music played no matter what time it was, with a capital view of Midgar stretching to the ocean. Rumor had it that the gold chandelier had a variety of mirrors interlaced into its design that allowed President Shinra to peer through a hole in his office floor and see the workings of the grunts on the bottom floor.

On the opposite end of the building, the noise made by the hundreds of Shinra employees, no matter how loud or frantic, never penetrated the twenty-foot-thick layer of solid steel that encased the lower levels. It was a known fact that the laboratories and the offices for the scientists were dead silent. Not to mention, they habitually suffered blackouts when electricity was rerouted for experiments, leaving the labs with lighting straight out of a horror movie sometimes. The numbers started at U1, then U2 and on down underground. As the levels got lower, higher access codes and stricter security kept lips sealed tight. Cloud couldn't help but think of the people who could be suffering somewhere stories below his boots. His stomach heaved a bit at the thought, and Zack's sunshiny presence almost dimmed in Cloud's mind.

Zack brightened back into existence quickly though as he nudged Cloud back to reality. The SOLDIER pushed the button on the elevator and relaxed. He figured Cloud seemed all right, a little morose, though it may have just been the fact that Zack couldn't see most of Cloud's face behind the packets.

The elevator dinged, and Zack turned expectantly towards the doors, though they didn't open. He turned to Cloud to shrug, but the blond was looking towards the glass elevator. Passing their floor in the transparent machine was a burly man with a dark, shiny baldhead. His hands were locked behind his body, and he stared straightforward through a pair of dark-tinted sunglasses. He was impeccable in appearance, but menacing all the same.

"Don't talk to those blue-suits Cloud. Turks do the dirty work for the executives, everybody knows that." Cloud knew that Zack said that not only to warn Cloud, but also to remind him not to stare. Rude's dark skin tone was an uncommon feature, and many people tended to stare. It was the same with many of Wutain descent in some areas of the world. Rude made no acknowledgement if he could hear Zack's words. "He's one of them. Just watch out, okay? He's pretty noticeable, but some of the others blend in well, so watch your step."

Cloud nodded, and continued to watch Rude, who was steadily rising up. Cloud met the Turks' eyes and gave him a polite nod, which Rude undoubtedly noted. The cadet knew that the animosity between them once had been for their jobs, nothing more. Rude was a consummate professional like that, and Cloud figured there was no need to start out on the wrong foot at least. The blond watched the Turk rise above their heads before he turned back to Zack.

The SOLDIER was idly bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly impatient for their elevator to come. Cloud watched him for a moment, strongly reminded of a bored eight-year old, before he shifted the weight of the papers a bit.

Zack looked back over at him and shrugged. "I bet some intern on the first floor hit every damn button on the way up here." He nudged Cloud a bit and laughed. "Kid probably had no idea where he's going, so he's just checking every name tag on each floor." Zack smiled again, enjoying his jibe. Cloud hummed in amusement.

Zack turned back to the elevator expectantly, as though the doors might open to his will. Cloud looked on for a second, suddenly feeling the urge to keep up the conversation. "Where are we going?"

Zack turned back towards Cloud and couldn't help but chuckle. Cloud was all hair and two big blue eyes behind the stack of papers. He blinked up at Zack once, his head tilted just barely to the side looking innocently curious.

Zack winked at him.

Cloud frowned back though Zack couldn't see it. Zack's playful gesture instead of an answer annoyed the blond a bit, since he hated to go into any situation blind. At the same time, Cloud's heart felt a little warm that Zack was so laidback with him—the way they used to be. Cloud felt his face heat up a bit, and he discreetly looked away. Zack was bringing up so many feelings, more than Cloud was accustomed to anymore. It was nice, but a bit like a drug.

Their elevator arrived finally, and they stepped into it. The lighting slipped between the cracks from floor to wall and at the corners of the room. It made for a weird set of shadows that wavered and danced in front of them. The whole machine grumbled and groaned, and gave a mildly frightening shudder as it passed the twenty-third floor. Zack leaned back against the wall and smiled mysteriously at the blond, who was watching the numbers rise higher and higher.

"You don't know Shinra well enough to guess who's on what floor." Zack informed Cloud smugly.

Cloud shrugged in response. He knew generally who was where, or at least what rank the people were, though as a cadet he shouldn't have.

As the ride dragged on Zack complained loudly about the infuriatingly boring elevator music Shinra played and the occasional shriek as the old elevator whined up the floors. The more floors that passed them by, the more and more nervous Cloud became. Wherever they were going, it was to an important somebody's office.

The elevator kept rising and Cloud had a sudden realization of their most likely destination. Zack was, though Cloud had forgotten, the Lieutenant General of SOLDIER. It was the second most powerful position in SOLDIER and guaranteed Zack an office on a high floor.

Cloud exhaled, and his relief was almost palpable. The blond would never say it out loud to Zack, but he'd been worried they were going to Sephiroth's office. Cloud peaked at Zack from the corner of his eye, but the man's wickedly mischievous smile just wouldn't go away. His mako-brightened eyes glittered at his inside joke and flashed over to Cloud's. The blond huffed a little for Zack's benefit, and the SOLDIER just laughed.

The elevator finally stopped on Floor 45. They stepped out, Cloud rather carefully as his stack wavered a bit, and into the muted stillness of a large, open seating area with a couple couches and a coffee table with a vase on it. It had about as much personality as doorknob. As Cloud stepped out he noticed the carpet was quite thick, and around the square lounge were four evenly spaced doors and one directly opposite the elevators at the far side. Each had a plaque nailed to it announcing the office and name of the occupier.

Zack led Cloud around the couches and the blond strained to read unfamiliar names off the shiny plates. These offices were all for the Lieutenant Generals, but the two on the left side were for the regulation army. The one on the right must have been Zack's, and the fourth room likely a break room or maybe even a secretary's. Being considerably larger in size than SOLDIER, the regulation army had two Lieutenant Generals while Zack was the only one for SOLDIER.

Zack kept going past the door with his name and rank on it and instead went to the farthest door in the room. The well of dread that had been steadily growing in Cloud's stomach suddenly turned into a lead weight when the SOLDIER stopped.

**General**

Cloud was noticeably tense, and Zack was again distinctly reminded of a startled chocobo at the way Cloud's shoulders stiffened. He seemed to shrink behind the papers, and Zack almost felt the need to look over the top of the copies and make sure the blond was still there.

Zack of course knew what Cloud had noticed, and the First's playful mood started to evaporate when Cloud's reaction was obviously moving away from "startled" and into "panicky" territory. The SOLDIER had been enjoying keeping the secret of their destination from Cloud, but now he wondered if that had been such a good idea. The blond looked like he was thinking of making a run for it.

"Relax Cloud, the man doesn't bite. You can't leave me to carry all those papers by myself, now can you?" Zack's lame attempt at loosening the atmosphere fell flat, as Cloud didn't so much as twitch, his eyes darting to the other doors for a just a brief moment. The SOLDIER frowned at the blond, though Cloud didn't seem to notice. Zack had been hoping Cloud would be a bit tougher than this, but apparently the thought of meeting Sephiroth thoroughly intimidated him. Maybe it was too early, given he'd only approached him today, but Cloud had really caught his eye, and Zack had thought the kid could take the surprise.

Zack had dragged other messengers into the General's office before and all tended to react similarly: trembling and hunching over like they were bracing themselves for the worst. Zack found it rather funny for strangers or cadets and Thirds that annoyed him, but Cloud was Zack's new friend, and it felt mean to make Cloud so uncomfortable. Of course, to Zack this was perfectly justified too. This would be good for Cloud and maybe even Sephiroth, who Zack worried sometimes was getting terribly bored of life. Even though Sephiroth was intimidating, Cloud didn't have anything to fear. Sephiroth didn't equal sudden death, at least when he wasn't on the battlefield. Plus, Zack figured, Sephiroth's office had hardly enough space to swing that massive sword anyway.

Cloud, dazed, was wondering how to convince Zack to go to Sephiroth's office alone. The shock seemed to break over Cloud when no one dragged him forcibly through the door, and he was aware that he was standing outside Sephiroth's office like a frozen deer. Zack's eyes were on him, he could feel it, and the blond knew already that retreat wasn't an option. It was better to fight this battle now, even if he was totally unprepared for it.

His steps were carefully measured as he came closer to where Zack was standing by the door. Cloud had to remind himself there was no reason to be nervous. This wasn't the same Sephiroth he'd known for all of his adult life. This Sephiroth was perfectly sane, a man in control of his emotions and powers. He was the man under Hojo, unaware of where he came from or how his life really began. Cloud's heart lurched painfully and drummed a staccato rhythm against his ribs. This Sephiroth was _not_ diabolical or a sociopath. He was none of that. _General_ Sephiroth was a powerful man, assertive on and off the field, and brilliant. He was a taciturn, observant, direct, calculating man that might see through Cloud's farce in a second.

Oh Shiva.

Cloud definitely stopped breathing there.

All the things Cloud knew—Lucrecia, Vincent, Hojo, Jenova—all of that was Sephiroth's history. Cloud's intimate and detailed knowledge was nothing if not incredibly suspicious, and if Sephiroth ever got an inkling that Cloud might have dabbled where he shouldn't have then there would be hell to pay.

Zack started to talk again, but Cloud couldn't hear the words. He knew he might be able to pull the wool over Zack's eyes, but Sephiroth played a whole different game that the rest of the world could barely keep up with. Cloud had known that life was the same as war to Sephiroth, just done more subtly and occasionally with less violence.

He would have to be careful. Not forgettable maybe, because ultimately that wouldn't help the future, but certainly not remarkable either. He needed to keep his cool, be calm, and be brave. It was stupid to be cowardly here after all he'd seen. Cloud repeated that line in his head as Zack moved forward and threw open the door with flourish.

* * *

Reno sauntered down the hallway at an unhurried pace, musing over the missing Cloud. The blond hadn't been in dinner when he got there, which Reno found annoying. Even worse, everyone had been talking about how SOLDIER First Zack Fair pulled him out. Reno didn't generally like not knowing why something was happening under his nose like that. He liked to know where predictable people should be, and Cloud, who hadn't made a splash with the First as far as he could tell, had seemed the predictable type.

Well, when people proved you wrong, change your idea.

The redhead scratched along one scar on his face and idly wondered where the SOLDIER First Fair came into all this. That black-haired man was a hard opponent; Reno could see it right away why the man was Lieutenant General of SOLDIER, the same way the weaker predator knows when he's in the wrong territory. It made Reno wonder just what he was doing down with the cadets, and in particular Cloud. Surely he had some Thirds to bother? Or even a Seconds platoon to train?

Or maybe he had noticed something different about Cloud too; something in the blond's manner that drastically changed overnight. It was like all the confidence Cloud had been missing had been shoved into his head in one go. He just woke up one morning, and Reno had looked over and had practically seen double. Where was the angsty, anonymous, weak Cloud? Something had flipped the switch and now he was a motivated, colder person.

Reno almost put the hair he was tugging on in his mouth then thought better of it. He had just gotten off the training fields, and his hair was lank and sweaty. He tucked the lock behind his ear and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He lazily turned the corner in a wide arc and rounded his way down to the cadet barracks. These halls were far less crowded and noisy since most cadets would rather spend their time outside than in the stuffy barracks. It did prove to be one of the best places to pick up on gossip though, since private chats were always held on somebody's bunk around this time. Reno had taken to haunting the place, easing doors open quietly and laughing at the absurd and ridiculous secrets and gossip people shared.

The General was the most prevalent of course, how could he not be? Some of the Turks were brought up occasionally, and Professor Hojo too, but the Shinra duo at the top of the company food chain were always a hot topic. Rumor had it President Shinra had a personal whore down in the slums.

Reno snickered under his breath and deftly dodged a lost intern who was tripping down the empty hallway. Cloud had popped up in a number of rumors, mostly about his materia accident. What really got Reno interested in them was the conditioning and training exercise stories. People had whispered that Cloud had been seen running around the track at night and doing pull-ups on bathroom stall dividers. The sudden dedication seemingly overnight, no matter how much scorn and jealousy the blond kicked up, was something totally new and unexpected.

He was focused…the question was, on what?

Cloud's burgeoning drive and abilities had caught the eye and respect of a number of little nobodies. Dan Gavish, the annoying prick of their bunker, had pranced after Cloud like some bizarre fairy and had tried hard to get his attention without much success. And Reno knew the bigger fish were already starting to circle.

The redhead's smirk spread a little wider and he kept going at a relaxed pace down the windowless corridor, his boots lightly tapping the threadbare carpet. Cloud wouldn't be in the bunker yet, something told him, but Reno wanted to catch him before anyone else.


	6. You Make Me Wild-Eyed

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Six: You Make Me Wild-Eyed**

The door was thrown open spectacularly and slammed into the wall as Zack strolled in, completely nonplussed that he had just intruded on the General's personal space without so much as a knock. This was not a new thing now, and Sephiroth completely ignored the intrusion. Cloud, unsure what was okay or not, was still standing just beyond the threshold.

The General of Shinra's army was seated in a high-backed leather chair facing the door. Cloud could see the sharp lines of his face, and the angular set of his brows as he read over the papers in front of him. His regular white collared shirt dipped enough to hint at the corded muscles under his skin, particularly where it was rolled up to his elbows. Cloud's eyes snaked along the lean strength of his arms and traced the broad shoulders up to where strands of his moonlight hair collected.

Even head bowed and concentrated on work, wearing a collared shirt instead of leather, Sephiroth commanded the attention of the room. Cloud knew immediately just why Sephiroth was _the_ General.

His desk was uncluttered and sparsely covered with neat stacks of folders and papers. The accompanying high-tech computer sat off to the side. The thick mahogany desk matched the dark color of the bookshelves that lined the walls on either side of him. Each was packed with important and thick books of varying dull colors. The titles announced themselves as mostly maps and various cultural history of different regions, along with a number on military strategy.

Zack walked in, ignoring the tinge of annoyance that appeared on Sephiroth's face that lasted for just a moment. The SOLDIER must have been used to the heat of the General's glares, because he hardly gave it a passing thought before he had picked up one of the paperweights, a glass swan, on the desk and begun to fiddle with it.

"Hey Sephiroth, I brought all those copies. I swear none of them are creased or folded and there's not a single coffee stain on them, right Cloud?"

Said blond had taken two steps forward from the doorway into the room, and now seemed to be wavering between the hallway and the office. Fear and longing shot through Cloud, and he rested on the balls of his feet, feeling extremely unsure of himself. However, all thoughts flew right out of his head when Sephiroth's penetrating gaze fell on him.

The expression of abject boredom with just a hint of curiosity was what Cloud saw upon his first direct look at the General. The man was at his most relaxed; nothing as Cloud remembered him. His blade lay off to the side of the room on a stand, deceptively peaceful though still within a step's reach. Sephiroth's casual self-assurance and absentminded masculinity made him all the more dangerous to Cloud. It reminded him of the quiet before a battle. Still, Cloud took another brave step forward, not entirely sure of his own body anymore.

The hum of the air vent above the door cut through the heavy silence. The papers were like deadweight in his arms. He could pick up the subtle rustling of clothing as Zack yawned, and the slightest whisper as the air picked up some of Sephiroth's hair. He knew he was staring, but it had been a long time since Sephiroth had really looked like _Sephiroth_,the man Cloud had once stayed up to watch on TV. The man whose speeches he had hung on to every word as a cadet.

Zack's voice echoed loudly in Cloud's ears and pulled Sephiroth's hypnotic green eyes away from his scrutiny. The trance broke, and while it had felt like an hour it had probably been only a handful of seconds.

"Just dump them anywhere, Cloud." Zack motioned in the general direction of the desk. He flopped down in the only available chair and settled himself in. Zack casually leaned back in his chair, one leg propped over the armrest. He looked comfortable enough to fall asleep in it, an acute difference to Cloud's incredibly stiff stance. "Why don't you get a secretary to do this, Seph?"

The General made no reply as he turned back to Cloud. His heavy gaze settled on the blond, and Cloud tried to blink away the double vision that suddenly assaulted him. Sephiroth's lucid face betrayed no weakness, no insecurity at all, but Cloud could remember the wild insanity, and the feverish light in those orbs.

"Just put them there." He spoke directly to Cloud, indicating the corner of his desk with one long finger as he did. The deep melodic voice washed over Cloud's senses and made his heart rate take off, and he could feel a blush rising on his cheeks. He took a short breath to gather himself before stepping forward and carefully putting the papers down, making sure not to jostle anything on the desk. Sephiroth acknowledged the action with a nod and a low, "Thank you."

Cloud stepped back quickly, feeling more heat in his cheeks, and his eyes flickered around the room so he wouldn't have to keep looking at the General. Flustered, anxious, that was only what Cloud felt when he saw his reflection on Masamune. The sword lay off to the side, perfectly polished and gleaming, and Cloud's blue eyes and dull red face was mirrored back at him. It was the first time looking at this blade that he felt unsure, felt afraid. Every time he had faced down Sephiroth before he had been determined, confident, and aware of what he needed to do. Now, he was none of those things, and his reflection showed it.

It stung him back to reality as much as seeing the pale blue eyes he once had without any mako glow. This wasn't him. He hadn't been that little boy in a long time. Even if he had the body of him, he still _wasn't_ him.

He was a different person after everything; life had made him that way. Even if he had to keep secrets, that wasn't something he could hide. He had been stripped of humanity by Hojo, betrayed by his own broken mind, lost his best friend, his hero, and a friend, and crossed the Planet a hundred times over hunting down the one thing left of his childhood dream. He was different, and the man that he was should not be afraid.

As Cloud's eyes moved away from the sword, they inevitably fell back on the General, that regal, impassive facestill watching him. If Cloud could look a mad Sephiroth in the eye and kill him, as painful as that knowledge was, then how could he let this Sephiroth, who didn't fanatically want Cloud's death, intimidate him? Was he truly that spineless?

He put his hands behind his back, trying to look more humble even as he straightened up a bit. With a breath to calm himself, the blond looked the General directly in the eye, surely tempting some deity to strike him down for his insolence. Sephiroth was an extraordinary man, and Cloud acknowledged that even as he stood tall. "If I may be excused, sir."

Sephiroth tilted his chin up ever so slightly, clearly acknowledging Cloud's change of attitude as a challenge. His eyes darkened imperceptibly, and his mouth twitched before flattening out. "You're excused, cadet Strife." Sephiroth nodded to Cloud and turned back to his paperwork. He pointedly ignored Zack who had stopped talking at some point and was slouching in his chair, though his eyes were bright,surprised, and riveted to Cloud.

Cloud nodded, already his flush of confidence beginning to ebb, and looked at neither occupant of the room as he left. He closed the door behind him, resisting the urge to run as he left the office, and walked back down through the lounge. He reached the elevator in record time, hardly aware of how fast he was moving. He pushed the button three times, even as the elevator door inched open. He was lucky it was still on his floor; that meeting couldn't have lasted five minutes. As soon as the doors shut though, he slumped over and tried to take some deep, even breaths. The adrenaline was leaving his system, and he couldn't believe just one meeting with Sephiroth had done that to him.

_Oh Planet._

* * *

Zack exhaled quietly when the door shut behind Cloud. The tension in the room had mounted to dangerous heights as Sephiroth inspected a very edgy-looking Cloud for a couple of seconds. Some very prolonged seconds.

Zack had his suspicions on whether or not Sephiroth derived a certain enjoyment in making people squirm or if he just did it unintentionally, but whatever the case, the General had certainly been on the verge of turning Cloud into a puddle of chocobo-colored cadet. The boy had looked so uncomfortable at first that Zack was sure Cloud was on the verge of fainting. It wouldn't be the first time someone had in this office, but it would have been the first time it would upset Zack this much. Zack had high expectations of Cloud, and he had proclaimed them to Sephiroth in several long monologues, which the older man probably listened to though it hadn't looked like it at the time.

Zack's gaze returned to the General as he considered what had happened. Sephiroth's attention had seemed to return to his work, but Zack knew better. He could tell the man's brain was already going into overdrive. Cloud had certainly left an impression, even if on the surface he hadn't really done anything. He certainly left a different one on Zack. It had taken Zack several meetings with the General before he felt comfortable enough to make direct eye contact like Cloud had. Even the President of Shinra was wary around the General, and referred to him solely by rank, not name, and he certainly avoided eye contact. Zack was more curious to know what had suddenly brought Cloud back from the edge. At least it proved to the First that Cloud really did have a core of steel.

"Is there anything more you need, Zackary?" Sephiroth's annoyance was practically palpable. Obviously whatever he had been expecting from Cloud hadn't happened. Everyone had been surprised, it seemed, and Sephiroth hated to be surprised.

Zack warmed up immediately to some conversation. It was just what he needed to get his mind back on track. "Don't you just want to bask in-"

"No." The General's face fell into a familiar determined look that Zack had come to love. It meant Sephiroth was digging in for a battle, and he rarely ever bothered to do that.

"C'mon Seph. You've got the best window on the floor. Can't I just sit in the sunlight for a little longer?" Zack tried to wean a little mercy out of some crack in the General's heart, but he knew that on certain matters, there was none to be had.

"Zackary, it is evening and half of these copies are for you to sign." Sephiroth picked up the pile and neatly divided it. One quarter was put on top of his own pile of paperwork; the other three quarters were dropped right in front of Zack's could be an asshole like that.

The SOLDIER's face immediately fell and he groaned. "Are you serious? Man, you could have told me that Seph. I wouldn't have copied them then. That'll take me forever."

Zack complained, but Sephiroth's no-nonsense face was back in place. "I can clear your schedule on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to work with Strife, but the paperwork has to be completed."

Sephiroth shuffled some papers around and pretended to ignore Zack. The SOLDIER paused, surprised that Sephiroth had gone down without a fight. The raven-haired man had been badgering Sephiroth about letting him teach Cloud, but the General frowned at any sort of favoritism, especially from someone as high-ranking as Zack. It was a shock, and the First knew it had more to do with the impression Cloud had left on Sephiroth than Zack's own nagging.

"I'll squish it in on Wednesday." Zack felt supremely confident inside—he hadn't even had to ask again. Cloud had gone above and beyond his expectations.

"As long as it's done."

Zack grinned and jumped up, practically skipping to the door.

"Thanks Seph." The silver-haired warrior didn't reply, but Zack knew the man was pleased.

* * *

The two lounge areas for the cadets stood at the ends of the cadet-bunker hallway. On the evenings and especially the weekends, they were full of raucous laughter and discarded and unlabeled bottles. Liquor wasn't allowed for cadets on Shinra grounds, but motivated men found ways around the security. The typical drink of the weekend was homemade whiskey, which was often off-taste and off-color, but as long as they could still get drunk off it no one cared.

Young men, teens really, were gathered together enjoying what free time and energy they had. Cloud could hear the murmur of their voices as he came around the bend and crossed the narrow way to his bunker door. He spied Dan amongst the group, holding a plastic cup sloshing with drink and seated on the edge of a couch. He hardly looked a part of the group but had probably wanted to join in the fun.

Cloud stepped inside his barrack, the smell of dirty laundry and sweat permeated throughout the contained room. His nose had quickly grown use to it. It was hardly the scent of the desert or the fresh vegetables Tifa kept stuffing into his bag, but it could've been far worse. It could have smelled like Barret's AVALANCHE headquarters—a mixture of beer, male musk, and seafood.

Bunk beds lined every wall of the room, each distinctive of the personality of their owner. It was the only place in Shinra that was a cadet's own, and it showed. Cloud's own bunk's sheets were relatively straight, with no baubles hanging from the posts or lewd pictures on the wall. He had hardly owned anything when he first came here, and Cloud had grown up to be a man of simplicity. He had very little time, what with AVALANCHE and saving the planet, to collect odds and ends.

What few things he had were under the bed. There were a handful of pictures along with some holiday cards and a switchblade. Unused clothes remained under there too, along with a special clipping from a newspaper—the day the Wutai War ended. There in the front of the picture, amidst the battlefield of broken bodies, was a glorious and triumphant Sephiroth. As close to happy as he ever looked.

Cloud lingered on the threshold. His body thrummed ready and alert despite his tired mental state. Just as he stepped into the center area, Reno's bright red hair became visible as he sat up on his own bed.

"Where you been Cloud?" His rough accent and lopsided grin were quite familiar, and even though they hadn't been friends, the sight made Cloud a little nostalgic. Reno's humor hadn't changed over the years, and it was a little pleasing to see that. Ironic, as it generally lead them to blows previously. Proof, perhaps, the whole world had not gone mad even though Cloud had.

"About." Cloud shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. His mind was still whirring in a vortex from what had happened tonight. Reno's nosy attitude was not what he needed. What he needed was to collapse and go straight to sleep, even if he had to knock Reno unconscious to do it.

Cloud tried to ignore Reno, but the way the redhead stared at him made Cloud wary and uncomfortable, and he wasted no time changing into pajamas. Reno didn't say a word, but the silence quickly grew awkward as Cloud kept his back to the redhead, pretending to fish around in his bag for something.

Finally the redhead spoke. "Yo, what's with the SOLDIER? You disappeared in dinner, and people say you left with him."

Cloud twitched just a little bit. Zack and his' friendship was only just burgeoning, and Cloud didn't want too much interference as he tried to make things right. "Why do you care?" Cloud turned as he spoke, pining the redhead down with his eyes. His words came out biting, and Reno drew back, his face screwed up in a mock image of pain.

"Ouch. Didn't mean nothing by it." Reno rubbed his jaw, and the suspicious glimmer in his eyes brightened. No doubt the idea of Cloud and a First Class SOLDIER as an item appealed to the redhead's curiosity and information-monger personality. Cloud didn't care what Reno thought though. If the redhead told everyone that Zack and he were together, then so be it. Gossip of that kind was not something Cloud cared about.

Cloud turned back to his bunk a little more sharply than intended. He knew he might regret being so curt with the redhead. Reno had been nicer to him recently, laying off the bullying and teasing, but the redhead was a clever guy. He might turn back into a bully and take revenge if Cloud didn't step carefully. However, the blond's patience was in tatters, and he needed to think on everything. Then maybe he could be more civil. Sleep, eat, then go back and run through what happened a couple more times. Nothing was making any sense right now.

"'Night Reno." Cloud lied down on his bunk facing the wall, trying to will the swirling and unraveling thoughts in his mind to come to some sort of peace. All thoughts of Sephiroth, Zack, the past, anything and everything were banished to the back of his mind. Tonight was for sleep.

Reno stared at the hard lines of Cloud's back. Cloud's potential as a soldier hadn't seemed great in the beginning, but Reno was quickly learning that any predispositions about this cadet were to be dumped at the door. He sighed and sat back on his bunk to take off his military boots. Cloud's manner was bothering him—the brevity with which he spoke, the unnatural lines of stress, the whole "world-on-my-shoulders" feeling that just would not go away. _How had he changed that much in less than a week?_

Drama queen, that's what, Reno thought with a snort. He probably got a letter from home saying something bad, and it turns into some extravagant melodrama. Reno breathed out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. He knew that wasn't the truth, but no matter what crazy ideas he came up with, nothing so far explained the sharp turnaround in Cloud. The blond had been the stoic short kid that tried to tough out everything that came at him, no matter how unfair. Now his stoicism had become truly cold, almost frightening at times like that glare he'd shot Reno a minute ago. Cloud was practically a whole new person now.

The curiosity just ate away at Reno as he kept staring at Cloud's back, silently willing Cloud to turn around and 'fess up. The redhead pulled off his other boot rather aggressively, trying to control the urge to throw it at the blond or get up and shake him hard enough to knock the answer from him. Information meant power where Reno came from, and Shinra was no exception. Having aces up his sleeve meant a longer life, and only the truly stupid didn't keep their ears open.

He rolled his eyes at Cloud's back and those ridiculous spikes of hair. That blond knew nothing of the streets, didn't know what it was like to be hunted, to fight for his life. It had been a point Reno had tried to make early on: that he knew the cruel sides of life. These rich men's third sons, and the condescending instructors wanted none of that from a street urchin though—a slum kid.

It brought a bitter taste to Reno's mouth as he thought of all the naïve SOLDIER wannabes. All those kids who would die on their first mission totally lost and encumbered by fear and uncertainty. Reno was above that. He knew he could think on his feet and was agile enough to get out of deep trouble when he saw it. If he didn't know better, Cloud's body language would say the same.

And he damn well would know soon.

"Reno." Cloud's voice was a little muffled from the coverlet and speaking towards the wall, but the words came clearly to the redhead. There was steel there, blanketed by exhaustion, but steel nonetheless.

"Hm?"

"Stop staring at me."


	7. Fighting Under the Radar

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Seven: Fighting Under the Radar**

Tuesday's dinner consisted of unapproachable meat and some dark pink unidentifiable sauce slathered over it. Cloud picked at the recognizable mashed potatoes on the side. Dan sat across from him and dug straight into his food, either uncaring or ignorant to the potential chemicals and bacteria he was ingesting. Though a messy eater, Dan was nothing compared to Barret, and Cloud effectively ignored it.

The days were going by more quickly. Cloud, who never got much sleep anyway, had found himself dozing in class as he listened to litanies of information he already knew or knew was perfectly useless. Dan had firmly attached himself to the blond now, trailing after him to class and partnering with him in training. Dan really wanted to be friends, if his effort was anything to go by, and Cloud hadn't really minded. It was nice to have some company now and then, and Dan had quickly learned not to bother filling in the silence with pointless words.

Zack's promise of a Wutain dinner had yet to come, but Cloud knew that Zack's workday was hectic, and he assumed the black-haired man had simply forgotten. It felt arrogant to ask about it, so Cloud let it go. The SOLDIER had more important duties to worry about than trivial dinners he promised to a cadet. The disappointment stung, but Cloud was sure Zack hadn't meant it.

The workouts in the mornings were still going on, and a couple of boys in his bunker had begun to notice, and he'd heard some rumors floating around. Cloud didn't care if they knew or not. Their concerns were nothing to him; he had far bigger things to worry about. No said anything to him, not even Dan, but their incredulous expressions spoke for themselves. Cloud was secretly a little upset with his progress, though it had only been days. His muscles cramped, he was always sore, and the strength and endurance he'd long cultivated were gone. He was…frail, and he loathed the feeling of his own weakness. He pushed himself harder and harder to deny the anger inside at it, even as he knew he was risking himself for injury. The mako and Hojo's tinkering had made him feel invincible sometimes, and without it things would be much harder.

The sound of a clattering tray and a voice turned Cloud's head away from his despondent staring at the soggy potatoes. Reno had practically thrown himself on to the seat after he slid his tray down the table towards Cloud. He only did it for the attention, Cloud knew.

The redhead ate his food with relish, continually moving the utensil to his mouth. He really reminded everyone of a greedy street child when he ate like that, like his next meal wasn't guaranteed.

Dan seemed to freeze at Reno's presence, unsure why he was joining them so suddenly. After all, most people probably thought Cloud was the only person who had enough patience to sit through Dan's one-sided conversations. Reno was an entirely different story, though. The redhead had friends, groups he hung out with. Already people were beginning to pick up on the different vibe, and Cloud could feel them staring at the motley group at his table. It was unpleasant, but not unwarranted. He was as confused about Reno's choice of seating as everyone else, but he didn't say anything. He could deal with whatever the redhead came up with. Reno was still just a kid after all without any Turk training to deal with and no dirt on Cloud.

The blond shrugged it away even as Dan was staring pointedly at Reno. Politics of the cadet world in Shinra were hardly his concern, and Reno could do as he pleased so long as he wasn't poking around Cloud too much.

"Is that salt?" Reno looked away from his food and pointed to the cheap, clear, plastic shaker at the end of the metal table. Dan's gaze didn't leave the redhead for a moment, if anything he only bristled when Reno spoke, but Cloud looked away from the two of them in surprise. At the end of the table was a pitiful shaker of salt. Since when did Shinra have condiments in the cafeteria?

"Hmmm… Maybe they'll have ketchup someday." Reno's face lit up in a wistful grin, obviously thrilled with the idea. He turned then to Cloud and Dan, "So, what are you guys gonna do Friday?" Reno's sidelong glance didn't get past Cloud's notice, but the blond ignored it. The redhead was probably gauging his reactions, trying to get a better feel of him. It was better than Dan's direct approach, but far more annoying.

The Friday coming up was Memorial Day, and even the Shinra army got off. All the Wutai War veterans were honored in a big parade on the plate, followed by the procession of families of those who lost loved-ones in the war. Many SOLDIERs walked for their comrades too. Business flourished as people came into Midgar to see the parade. Despite the day being choked by Shinra propaganda, the entertainment was well worth the trip. That, and General Sephiroth marched in the parade himself.

Cloud had gone when he'd been a cadet before. It had been a spectacular event from what little he recalled, no one could deny Shinra that, but it was been exclusively for the people above the plate. Those who lived under the plate could come, though most couldn't afford the train ticket.

Cloud remembered little of the actual event. Most of it was military salutes and sobbing families. The moment that stuck out in his mind was when General Sephiroth marched out in front. Dressed in pristine white, adorned with sparkling metals and bright ribbons announcing his prestigious rank and awards, he had strode at the front of the marching line of First Class SOLDIERs, all glittering with their own metals. It had been amazing. That had been the first time Cloud could recall seeing Sephiroth in person, with his regal bearing as he headed the best SOLDIERs in the world; Cloud's heartbeat had been loud enough to drown out the band.

The blond turned to Reno as the redhead watched him with curious eyes. "Nothing." The parade was the same every year, and Cloud wanted to take as much advantage as he could of a day free from the hassles of the other boys. This Friday he could avoid most of the other cadets, who would undoubtedly go to the parade to see the SOLDIERs and the General. Nearly everyone on the Shinra compound would be marching or watching, and no one would notice if Cloud wasn't in the crowd. The blond had planned to claim an empty room that day and hopefully get his hands on a proper sword. The lock on the weapon cabinet would be laughably easy after what Yuffie had taught him.

Reno shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm plannin' on going under. Gotta pick up some stuff." He rattled off a list of various necessities, mostly food, though he mentioned a new switchblade and some bullets (which made Dan twitch). Reno waved his fork around as he spoke, his red hair flopping around in its ponytail the way a rat's tail whips around behind it. It was a brighter red than Cloud remembered, but not nearly as long.

Dan turned back to his food with a scoff, rudely ignoring Reno, who in turn ignored him. Cloud was only half-listening to either of them. He had more important things on his mind—most notably the near future. Tonight would be his first lesson with Zack. He had been terribly anxious since Zack found him in the weight-room lifting last Saturday. He had been bench-pressing when Zack barged in, and only Cloud's quick reflexes saved him from dropping the barbell on his chest. Cloud's moment of surprise, all wide-eyed and clutching the barbell with white hands, had Zack cracking up. Cloud's self-consciousness won out, and his cheeks had tinged pink with embarrassment. He hated to be caught unprepared.

The SOLDIER had told him the only times he was given to train Cloud were Tuesday and Thursday nights, but if he had free time he promised to find Cloud. Even if it was only two days a week, it meant a couple of hours of Zack to himself.

Zack was an excellent teacher and mentor and had probably gotten some of his tricks of being a disciplinarian from Sephiroth. He could be relentless and mulishly stubborn, which made him difficult to work with at times. However, he imparted lessons that went above and beyond just swordplay, and it meant the world to Cloud.

It also terrified him.

Zack usually came off to people as laid-back and fun, but not always quick on the uptake. It was an impression he'd told Cloud he loved because people came to underestimate his powers of observation. Cloud, however, knew Zack was anything but stupid. The man proved to be quite clever and often picked up on subtleties people rarely noticed.

Especially after the group sword lessons and the disastrous materia class, Cloud was mortifyingly aware that his previous skills were quite apparent to anyone who really thought about it. The blond knew without a doubt Zack would pick up on it fast. Cloud knew he couldn't fool Sephiroth, and if worked too hard to hold back any abilities, resisted his reflexes or fought too cautiously, he'd be all over Zack's radar, who would immediately see through it. Then he'd probably be poked and prodded and pulled until Cloud dropped some enormous clue.

Zack had probably already heard about the materia incident, and with a couple more tip-offs he could easily assemble a story to fit Cloud's 'prodigal' abilities. Of course, the SOLDIER would want a full confession out of Cloud, along with some good reasons for hiding it, and then potentially evidence. All of which Cloud had none of.

Where Zack could be clever at getting people to open up, Sephiroth excelled when it came to prying out the words. During the Wutai War he'd been famous for a lot of things, but one of them was his quick and civil interrogations; he hadn't needed brutality or tricks to get people to spill secrets. A couple of comments about Cloud's surprising ability, and the blond would have a seat with the General.

Therefore, Cloud's excitement for the lesson had been mixed with the most horrible feelings of doubt.

Cloud glanced up at the digital clock at the front of the cafeteria. He still had some time before the lesson started. He had to get his water bottle from his room before he headed to the gym. Zack would probably be waiting for him, already warmed up and ready to go.

Despite eating barely any food Cloud's stomach was in upheaval from the nerves. The blond stood up and dumped the remainder of his dinner in the trash. Dan looked up at him surprised, but Reno looked almost as if he had been waiting for it. Cloud nodded to both of them before walking out the swinging doors. Reno followed him out the door and called out to him in the hall.

"Hey wait Cloud! I was wonderin' something." Cloud turned around to look at Reno. The redhead caught up and kept in stride with him as he talked. "I'm goin' under the plate Friday, do you want to come? I know some great places to get some _good _stuff." Reno was smiling again, and it was both knowing and devious. Cadets were still in training, and therefore weren't allowed to have their own weapons while on Shinra grounds. Unsurprisingly Reno knew where to get one.

It would have to be cheap. Cadets had to pay to be trained, and the only allowance Cloud got was from his mother on his birthday. At the moment he was dirt poor and couldn't make real money unless he joined the regulation army—like he'd ever stoop to that level again—or became a SOLDIER. Still, what money he had amassed was enough to get a good knife off the black market.

What Reno's offer didn't entail, but tempted Cloud so much more, was the thought of Aeris. She still lived in the Sector 5 slums at this time, and if anyone might understand his predicament, it would be her. Cloud wanted to see her again. He wanted to apologize once and for all too, for letting her down so long ago. Then just do his best to avoid another mistake.

"Sure. Let's take the earliest train though." Reno frowned at that. He was hoping to at least get the chance to watch some of the parade. He had lived in the slums after all, and hadn't gone up before to see it. Despite that, he was pleased Cloud was coming with him. It was a chance at having Cloud all to himself; in an environment he knew Cloud would rely on him to get around in.

* * *

Cloud proved himself right when he entered the gym. Zack was swinging around a basic broadsword, muscles already warm, and his eyes glimmering excitedly. He was like a little kid sometimes, and it made it easy for a couple moments to forget that he had fought in the war on the frontlines and earned that First Class SOLDIER rank.

"Just start stretching and warming-up. I don't want you pulling anything, and you should always do that before practice or heading into a fight—if you get the chance."

Cloud turned away to put down his water bottle and begin basic stretches while Zack talked. When he was ready, Zack handed him a sword—a proper one this time, not a wooden one. Cloud swung it around a couple times, already appreciating the sound of metal through air.

"Feels good, huh?" Zack asked, and Cloud just nodded, but his lips quirked in a small smile.

"Okay, Let's do this right this time. Just relax and imagine I'm some hideous giant monster who knows how to use a sword." Zack's teasing grin didn't get the blush he was looking for. Cloud shrugged instead, but looked away uncomfortably. He was still a little embarrassed by his reaction last week both with the General and when Zack singled him out. He was determined this lesson wouldn't be like the swordplay class, but that sentiment didn't settle his nerves at all.

The SOLDIER didn't wait another beat before lifting up his own weapon and taking up a basic ready stance: legs evenly apart, knees slightly bent, and sword held out with two hands in front of him. The muscles in his shoulders were corded with strength, and the dull blade looked lethal in his hands. Cloud immediately took his own defensive stance, except his sword only required a one-handed grip. Years of habit with the Buster Sword made Cloud almost reach out to put his other hand on the hilt, before thinking better of it. Double-handed blades tended to be longer and heavier, and were therefore more difficult to wield. Cadets weren't taught how to handle those until they joined SOLDIER and specialized.

Zack smirked in response to Cloud's guard, and nodded his head to show Cloud was standing properly. They moved in a tight circle first, Zack watching his footing and balance. Then he made some slow hits on Cloud, careful to watch the movements of the blond, especially his wrists and shoulders.

Cloud tried to ignore the tedium of the simple maneuvers and focused on making mistakes. The exaggerated parrying and thrusting was pretty simple on the upper body, so Cloud concentrated on his footwork and his wrist angle. Even those moves, the ones he had memorized after years and years of hard training, cadet Cloud would still be a little shaky on. He purposefully crossed his legs unnecessarily, twisted his wrist unnaturally to make a block, and even made glances down at his feet to double-check himself. He felt a little ridiculous, but Zack lightly chastised him and corrected him every time, and it seemed to be doing the trick.

Zack just smiled as Cloud stumbled a step when he deliberately shifted his weight wrong, and it made Cloud wary. Zack's face didn't reveal any suspicions, but Cloud was cautious nonetheless. Soon the slow pace became maddening for them both, and Zack sped up the moves slightly.

"If you want me to go faster Cloud, then all you gotta do is ask." Zack's wolfish grin, and the innuendo behind his words stained Cloud's cheeks a darker red than they already were.

This time, Zack came at Cloud a little faster and a little harder, forcing Cloud to respond in kind. It was still far from the normal speed of a swordfight, but more interesting and far more difficult for Cloud. It was harder to concentrate on mistakes when he was moving faster, and he was reacting automatically. He focused instead on keeping an open expression of tiredness or surprise, and making sure to miss the block on occasion. It was exhausting work, and he knew his footwork was clumsy for it, luckily.

"C'mon Cloud, I know you can keep up."

He could feel the weakness in his limbs and knew his endurance was reaching its limit. Keeping up this pace for an extended amount of time just wasn't possible at the moment, though Cloud frowned and promised himself to keep it up until Zack called it off. He needed to know his real limits, and more importantly to eventually break them.

Their fight continued to escalate. Zack didn't do anything fancy, but his unending stream of attacks and heavy hits caused Cloud to falter for real a couple of times. He was embarrassed by it, but he was more concerned with how quick his reaction time was. His survival instincts ingrained in him demanded that he keep moving, that he keep going, that he _overcome_.

Losing had become unfamiliar territory after years of being—literally—the strongest person alive, and everything in him repulsed against losing, even in a spar. He had the world depending on him. He had people's dreams, hopes, and their very lives relying on him. He couldn't lose.

But Cloud had to tell himself this didn't count, that this wasn't important, and moreover, he _couldn't _win. One, because this was Zack, and Zack was a First Class SOLDIER and Cloud was a cadet, and two, because Cloud just didn't have it in him. Yet.

Cloud grimaced as he felt himself wearing down as the fight continued. What frustrated Cloud even more than his lack of stamina was his own body's failure to follow his commands. Even as Zack moved, Cloud eyes saw the motions and predicted the action to intercept the blade. His arms couldn't seem to get there fast enough though, and his body was unable to duck and evade when necessary. The fight progressed until a rather hard clash of the blades had Cloud stumbling backwards to his knees, and Zack flicking the tip of his blade to Cloud's neck. The SOLDIER's smile was genuine, but there was something else too.

"Nice work, Cloud. You've surprised me." Cloud panted even as he schooled his face into a neutral expression as soon as the words registered. He couldn't make any assumptions about what Zack meant. He could just mean it as a compliment.

Contrary to what Cloud thought though, Zack didn't quite mean it that way. Cloud was certainly hiding something, his face was stiffer than natural, and he hadn't responded to the pseudo-compliment. The blond had been an excellent student; fixing every mistake he made almost immediately, without needed demonstrations, a push or two, or repeated emphasis. He made the same mistakes only a handful of times, whereas most beginners made them repeatedly before it was trained out of them, especially as they got stressed and distracted. Along with that, he rarely made multiple mistakes at the same time. All of this was very suspicious for someone who should have almost no experience with a sword.

Which implied Cloud had previous knowledge and a good feel for sword fighting.

What made the least sense were his impeccable technique and his lack of physical ability to back it up. Cloud's stamina gave out quickly. They had been hardly going for fifteen minutes when it was clear he was tiring. He'd stuck with it stubbornly, which Zack liked, but it was still strange, to say the least, and terribly fishy.

The crease in Zack's brow, though subtle, was still noticeable to Cloud, who was familiar with many of the First's quirks. Zack was confused, and it made Cloud unaccountably nervous.

The blond dusted himself off, more for the sake of something to do than anything else, and stood up. Zack nodded his head at the closet, indicating today's brief session was over now that he had a feel for where Cloud was ability speaking. The blond could feel Zack's eyes on his back as he took his sword over to the closet. When Cloud turned back to Zack after putting away his sword, the SOLDIER was smiling. At first glance it was perfectly genuine, but Cloud was sure he reading something indulgent in it too. Zack knew something was up and he'd let him get away today, but the blond might not be so lucky another time.

Cloud pushed aside what that meant and gave Zack his own half smile and a quiet thanks. He already knew he'd be up all night thinking of now to improve his bad fighting form. Even though Zack knew something was up, Cloud wasn't ready to tell him anything. The terror of telling Zack the truth was overwhelming. The abandonment, betrayal, the fear, all of those emotions was something Cloud didn't think he'd ever want to see on Zack's face. No one wanted to know about their own death with circumstances like that, and Cloud certainly didn't want to repeat those horrid events. They were best kept in his own faulty memory and left there.

Zack spoke up, and the blond was sure if he'd been sixteen properly he'd never have caught the subtle strain of suspicion behind his cheerful voice. "Make sure you stretch so you don't cramp your muscles. Endurance is something that'll come with time though, so don't sweat it Spike. I've got a pretty good idea of what we can start working on next time."

They left the room after they collected their things, Cloud letting the older man lead him through the halls. The blond couldn't deny the smidgen of guilt inside him as Zack looped an arm around Cloud's shoulders. It was as bad as lying, all the faking and hiding. Saying it was out of necessity didn't make Cloud feel any better.

Still, he bit his tongue and didn't say a word, though Cloud expected Zack was gearing up for a "you-can-talk-to-me-about-anything" chat. The blond knew he wouldn't be taking Zack up on his offer, and that he couldn't let his guilty feelings have any say. Some things just had to be done, and sometimes they required a certain level of apathy. Sephiroth had taught him that.

Cloud's bunker came into view and the pair stopped right in front of Cloud's door. "Thursday at the same time, don't forget Spike." Zack's smile was more genuine this time. He ruffled Cloud's hair. "You know Cloud, you can talk to me about anything." He paused for a half second, waiting for the blond to say something, but Cloud just nodded and averted his eyes, focusing on the ground. The SOLDIER seemed to be thinking for a moment, before he pulled Cloud into a one-armed hug, stepped away, and walked back down the hall.

* * *

The barrack was silent, only broken by the murmurs and breathing of the sleepers. Dan slept stiffly, almost reminiscent of Vincent's guarded sleep, though Dan's was far deeper and more at ease. No nightmares haunted him. Reno, in turn, was sprawled out ungracefully, one leg and some of that wild red hair loosely falling off the side. The blankets were bunched around him and held close, like someone might take them in his sleep.

Cloud moved from the doorway, barely consciously aware of what he was doing. His body was shutting down on him, his right arm he could barely feel, and his brain was becoming foggier with sleep. He stripped quickly and tossed the sweaty clothes under his bed.

The welcoming pillow and blanket couldn't be denied, and Cloud flopped down and slid under the sheets quickly. He curled up to try and keep the warmth from Zack's hug from seeping away, and almost immediately fell asleep.


	8. Valentine's Trigger

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Eight: Valentine's Trigger**

His eyes burned and moved frantically beneath their lids. Constricted. His lungs couldn't take in air. He clawed desperately at the blanket, begging and snarling in turns as he fought the covers and finally threw them off.

Cloud sat up in bed panting, his chest on fire and his forehead matted with sweat. Unconsciously he glanced down at the curve of his left elbow, but unmarred flesh was all he saw. No pinprick of blood. No visible blue vein or bruises from straps holding him down. His felt a shudder run up his spine as he thought back to those nightmarish years of imprisonment. He banished the memories before that could take form. A dream. It had all been a dream.

His skin itched and burned though, the way it had after any kind of mako exposure. Every nerve felt raw, and it left his skin tingling and highly sensitive. The coarseness of his covers irritated him beyond belief and he pushed the last part covering his legs to the floor with relief. Cloud scooted to the edge of his bunk carefully, trying not to aggravate his overly sensitized body. He hunched over with his head in his hands just breathing quietly and unclenching his fists in his hair. Vividly violent. That was how his dream was.

Vivid, violent, green.

He looked up from his bunk and stood up. His skin was cooling down already and he was beginning to feel chilled. In fact, so cold it was like his pants were-

His pants!

The covers were whipped up from the floor and around his waist in a flash. Horrified, the silence lingered as Cloud stood as stilly as possible, thanking the Planet for old habits of waking up before dawn. His face immediately flushed red as he realized that last night he'd been on autopilot, like he was back in his home above Midgar. It hadn't mattered there if he were nude; he hadn't been sharing a room with seven other people.

He stood as still as a stature, taking measure of the room. No one stirred but the gentle breathing of the other occupants in the room. The air in the bunker was stagnant and empty as Cloud took in deep, controlled breaths.

He wasn't the only one taking deep breaths.

Cloud could hear the stilted breathing of someone who was awake, who held in the air too long and exhaled too quickly. His sharp eyes darted around the room, inspecting each bunk to see where that person was facing. All but one had the calm ambience of sleep. Dan's eyelids were twitching awkwardly as he fought to remain relaxed. The boy's bunk was right above Cloud's, but when Cloud had stepped away from his bed he'd left himself open for anyone in the room to see. The boy could easily look down at the flustered Cloud.

Slowly, as though afraid the very sound of his eyelids opening would startle Cloud, Dan peeked over the top of his blanket. His curious gaze met the flustered blue eyes of the blond a bunk below him. Cloud flushed immediately, realizing he'd been caught. He was embarrassed by his nakedness, but he was reacting so strongly too because of that leftover shaky fear from the nightmare.

Dan's face though morphed into a smile, and the other cadet turned over in his bunk to face the wall, obviously giving Cloud some privacy. The blond watched the giggling Dan, wondering what Dan must be thinking. Most guys here would consider nightmares childish because they'd never had a real one as far as Cloud was concerned. Did Dan feel the same? Or did he maybe think Cloud had…

Cloud could feel just a little more red burn in his cheeks when he thought of it. They were teenage boys after all… nocturnal… he couldn't even think the words—were perfectly natural.

It didn't matter, the blond thought, resolutely trying to power through the initial embarrassment. "This never leaves your mouth," he told the kid. He tried to sound threatening, or at least stern, but his voice caught halfway through, and he knew he sounded like a desperate fool. Dan's head nodded, but his shoulders continue to shake even harder than before.

Dan wasn't a kid of malice; in fact, he probably thought this was a joke, Cloud reassured himself. This was the kind of things friends laughed about after all—there had been similar moments with AVALANCHE. You didn't travel with a group of people for months without having some awkward moments. It felt strange to consider Dan in light of that. Cloud hadn't had any friends in Shinra before, and yet now he might even have two. He half-smiled at the thought unconsciously, before he went to get dressed. More sleep was out of the question.

* * *

Because of the holiday on Friday, classes had been shifted around during the later part of the week. The normal Wednesday routine was scrapped and instead replaced with Friday's.

The cadets were taken outside to the shooting range with targets at varying distances across the field. The closest was fifty yards away and they gradually grew further away until the last target could be seen three hundred yards down. The air was slightly cooler today but Cloud still wore a t-shirt. The curve of his left elbow stung at any touch, and he decided it was better to just leave it be rather than aggravate it with wearing a long sleeved jacket.

"You ready?" Reno sidled in next to Cloud as the boys milled about while the instructors talked a little ways away.

"Yeah."

"These guns are such crap here. You should see them down below. Double-barrel shotguns, automatic pistols, foot-long barrels for revolvers, even x-ray scopes, everything a man could ever need. I've even seen a guy with a gun for an arm. Fucking awesome." Cloud nodded at Reno and the redhead grinned back at him. "You're a sword-guy. I like my guns as much as the next guy, but something like a dagger is more my style."

Cloud considered mentioning a nightstick, but thought better of it. Reno would probably find it on his own anyway, and nightsticks weren't very common weapons. Knowing anything about them was probably a little strange, especially for a mountain boy, not to mention Cloud was in no rush to start getting hit by one of them should Reno decide to "test it out".

The instructors broke apart and started to shout at the cadets who reorganized into their line. One trainer came around with a box handing out M16 rifles. They were long and made of black metal, easy to handle but on the heavier side. Cloud had worked with these before because they were standard issue in the army. But even those ones had been a better quality than the ones the cadets were given to practice with. The one he was handed had a dented grip and stained metal. Some of the black paint had worn off from too many fingers and he was sure the barrel wasn't quite straight.

He let it dangle at his side by the fraying shoulder strap as the next instructor came around with bullets already packed into a magazine. These bullets were for practice only and made of old rubber so they smelled like burnt tires. The rubber was supposed to prevent any kind of unnecessary pain or death if it managed to hit somebody, but they still got lodged under the skin at times and hurt like hell to remove. The soap-tipped ones were better, those just caused huge welts when they hit, but those were the ones the SOLDIERs practiced with. Cloud attached the magazine to the gun as the others did the same, clicking it into place.

The instructors backed off to the sides as cadets grouped into threes and stood before a target. He paired up with Dan and Reno as they were the closest to him and stood off the side casually. Dan was among the first group of cadets to go, and he pulled on his earmuffs with determination.

The first round of shots was fired at a standing position with the rifle settled into the crook of their shoulders. Dan flinched and blinked as he fired, twisting his elbow oddly to account for the recoil. Cloud had done that when he was a cadet too, but Vincent had quickly pounded it out of him.

It was soon his turn, so Cloud didn't follow that train of thought for too long. The magazine cartridges held thirty bullets, so he had thirty tries to hit dead center.

When he had been in cadet training, Cloud's aim had been awful. He couldn't have hit Shinra HQ if he tried. When Vincent joined AVALANCHE, the caped man had taken him aside to teach him properly. Even though Cloud normally used a sword with AVALANCHE, there had been instances where a gun was much more useful. Cloud was thankful for the help because he'd had some near misses with Yuffie. Her agile and quick movements in battle would have been his downfall with a gun. Cloud had hardly been able to shoot straight, let alone at an enemy while Yuffie was throwing things and doing cartwheels and back-flips around the battlefield. He had probably had a higher chance of hitting her than one of the Weapons.

This time around the ex-Turk hadn't taught Cloud, so his shot would have to be horrible. Unlike with sword-fighting though, Cloud thought this might actually be fun.

He took aim as seriously as he dared. Fifty yards wasn't all that far and he knew he could probably hit it without too much thought. For now though, he'd need to miss.

He settled into the stance, just leaving one foot off a little, and fired. As expected it skidded past the target. He took aim and tried again. As he continued to fire, it got easier and easier to make a believable miss. He clipped the target a number of times and even hit the outer rim twice, but otherwise his shots were abysmal. Vincent would be rolling in his coffin.

Cloud was almost smiling by the twentieth shot, but when the closest instructor rounded on him, Cloud knew he needed to make it look like he'd been taught something. Just as the Third Class drew close, Cloud fired a direct hit. Reno, who so far had been making jokes and sarcastic comments about Cloud's poor accuracy, whooped loudly. Dan applauded and a younger Cloud would have stifled a shy smile. Now Cloud just wanted to smirk as he fired another shot, glancing off the center just a bit. The instructor frowned at the lack of bullets in the target and gave Cloud a beady-eyed glare, but didn't comment as he walked past. The last couple of shots were fired, and then Cloud stepped back to watch Reno.

Reno almost strutted to the spot. If there was one weapon he knew how to use, it was a gun. Standard in the slums if you wanted to live, and they came pretty cheap and were versatile. Many basic weapons under the plate were relatively easy to come by and affordable with the right connections. The redhead lazily cocked the rifle on his shoulder and fired. Dead center.

Reno saw Dan sullenly look away out of the corner of his eye, and Cloud seemed to be zoning out. Reno took advantage of Cloud's distraction to stick his tongue out at the sulking Dan. Reno took aim again before Dan could retaliate, and fired almost mechanically. He would do several shots at once, then relax and take it up again. They didn't teach cadets to fire anything other than a double-tap, but Reno had found that even the monsters in the slums could sometimes need a good five or six shots before they went down. Reno paused again, and glanced back to give another nasty look at Dan for kicks, catching a glance at Cloud as he did so.

The blond was good. Even as he missed, his brow hadn't creased with frustration, and he hadn't even mumbled a curse or so much as grunted in annoyance. Reno might have been inclined to think Cloud was just stoic about it, if he had been inclined to ignore one of the most basic principles to firing a gun: recoil.

Most new gun users had difficulty taking recoil. Reno had seen newbies on the streets get smacked in the forehead with their own elongated pistols and almost kill themselves with grenade launchers. The cadets here weren't that much better, and many were rubbing bruised shoulders where the M16 had slammed back into them unexpectedly. They tried to teach the trainees how to handle it, but it mostly took experience and learning how to adjust for the weight of the gun and ammunition to get better at it. Cloud, though his accuracy said otherwise, took the recoil smoothly. He caught the backlash automatically, shifting his weight to accommodate for it almost unconsciously. Reno had noticed, even as he guffawed at Cloud's atrocious aim.

He fired his last shot as Dan took up the spot again, and Reno made sure to drop the gun into Dan's hands just to scare him a little. The blond was still staring off into the distance, and Reno weighed asking Cloud about his little show now under cover of all the discharging weapons, but eventually decided not to. Better to make a list and corner the blond properly.

* * *

Cloud slowly ate his lunch as he rolled around ideas about Vincent in his mind. The Turk would probably be the only AVALANCHE member Cloud could turn to who wouldn't think he'd really gone off the deep end this time. And Vincent was nothing if not capable of keeping a secret.

While shooting at the range, Cloud had entertained ideas of how to get Vincent out of his prison. The man would probably jump at any chance to take out Hojo and help Sephiroth, so it stood to reason that he should be Cloud's first real ally. Maybe the first person he could tell about the future he'd lived. Vincent didn't judge. It was an element of his character that Cloud always found comforting. The man had his own demons to deal with, and gave smart advice only when asked. Otherwise, he kept his opinion to himself.

Cloud fought down a smile at some of the positively outrageous ideas he'd had. Red XIII was possibly in the labs somewhere, and if Cloud could get down there then he could send the lion out for him. Cosmo Canyon was just a little south of Nibelheim, so he might be able to convince Red XIII to do him a little favor.

That however, was just about as crazy as asking Aeris or as laughable as asking Vincent's old Turk partner, Verdot, to go. Cloud could envision himself marching into the Turks' offices and telling the head of the division his "deceased" partner was sleeping in a coffin under an abandoned mansion in Nibelheim. If they didn't blow off his head, they'd think Cloud had gone crazy. _Cloud_ would think he'd gone crazy.

Nevertheless, the thought of reaching out to someone and telling the truth was one of relief. The farce was hard to hold up by himself, especially with so many eyes and ears constantly watching him. Cloud's eyes flicked to Reno quickly before looking away. Reno was probably just as astute as Zack, as experience had taught him, and unfortunately he spent a lot more time with the redhead than he did the First.

What Cloud really needed was a confidant and someone to bounce his ideas on. With AVALANCHE things had always been done roughly be consensus, and Cloud preferred leading with the group—he was no authoritarian who decided what was best for all. Unfortunately without any allies there was no one to help him make the decisions that could affect the whole Planet. It was an intimidating thought, and made Vincent's rock-like composure all the more appealing.

Reno noticed how zoned-out Cloud was again today and poked him in the arm with his fork. The blond did that fairly often, considerably more than he used to, and it was a very curious thing. Before he could even get the words out to ask what he was thinking about, Dan threw in his own comment instead. "You falling asleep Cloud? Just didn't sleep well?"

Cloud's face colored a very faint red as Reno glanced at him. The blond's eyes turned back to his plate, and he stared steadfastly at it as his face quickly regained its natural color.

Reno looked between Dan and Cloud briefly. Cloud's face was blank again, but Dan's had a cheeky grin on it. Reno narrowed his eyes suspiciously at their inside joke, but Dan just grinned harder and Cloud looked away awkwardly.

The redhead looked between the two of them, sizing them up.

Sex partners?

No. Cloud was a virgin through and through. He'd proven that the first day he walked through the Shinra doors. He'd been the shyest and quietest kid there no matter how defensive and angry he looked. Reno knew that type—fighting to keep the bullies away before they honed in on the weak prey. No matter how much he had changed in a week or so, Cloud hadn't slept with a soul. Reno would have known.

And Dan was a prude. Even though Reno knew the guy had to be gay, there was no way he'd ever admit it. Or act on it.

Reno didn't say a word about any of it as he went back to his half-eaten lunch.

* * *

The last class of the day was easily one of the most fun during the week, which was probably why it was normally on Friday afternoons. Cloud arched his back a bit to stretch it out. Some of his vertebra popped as his whole body tensed then relaxed again.

Friday's schedule had the best session for last and cadets were grinning in excitement. The weather was good too, which made the relative mood even higher. This particular class occurred no matter what the circumstances: rain, dust storm, fog, anything. Everything, according to the instructors, could and would happen out in the field, so the cadets had better get used to it here. Though they mumbled and grumbled, plenty of boys enjoyed scrabbling through the mud.

They were out on a different training field this time, one set back against some of the weapons sheds and garages for the military vehicles. Boulders and overturned cars were strewn about in muddy banks and between sparsely set groves of trees. It was one of the most basic training courses in the military.

The M16s and rubber bullets were handed out again and the cadets were split up all over the course. In the center of the field stood a group of Third Class SOLDIER instructors with shields the size of bowler hats. They were the targets for this course. First cadet to get close enough to fire a direct hit on the shield won. However, the SOLDIERs were also armed with pellet guns and if they caught anyone moving, they were welcome to fire.

The SOLDIERs' grins said they absolutely relished this chance.

Cloud dropped to his stomach as the whistle was blown. They had to crawl and scramble through the mud and around obstacles to get to a range close enough to shoot. The field was several hundreds yards long and most cadets couldn't aim straight from fifty yards away. The starting line for the groups of cadets was about four hundred yards away, a small ocean when dealing with such a small target.

Above the chaos of the mock battle, unknown to Cloud's knowledge, Zack and Sephiroth stood inside one of the lower lounge levels of the training building that was set closer to the fields. This one had a pool table, and at Zack's insistence, they were down there enjoying their lunch. The General hated to eat in the cafeteria with all the staring SOLDIER Seconds and Thirds anyway, so he didn't mind too much.

Zack grinned as he pointed down to the field several stories below. "Seph, check it out! I think that's Cloud!"

The General sighed but moved over to the window. Zack would happily abandon their pool game to watch his new favorite cadet. Sephiroth stood by the tall window in the lounge and looked down upon the open field. Sure enough, a little blond cadet was peering around a boulder at the circle of four instructors. His hair was distinctive enough to tell it was Strife.

"Look at Cloud go!" Cloud left the shelter of the boulder as another cadet closer in opened fire. The boy hardly got two shots, all of which were totally off anyway, before his shoulder was struck by a returning shot. The blond used a tree to shield himself as a couple more warning shots went off. Then he hit the ground again to move closer.

Sephiroth moved closer to the window to look out. On the other side of the course was a small thicket of cadets. Two of them had moved forward, one of which was crouched on bended knees shuffling slowly across the field. In front of him was a larger and bulkier boy who had clearly been tricked or forced into being the other boy's shield. The two were headed towards a car lying on its side, effectively creating a five-foot high wall of protection from bullets. For some inexplicable reason both boys thought none of the SOLDIERs in the circle would spot them as they shuffled slowly through open field. Sephiroth almost frowned at the idiocy.

"Human body shields won't work in the exam." He gestured to the group that was now under fire. A suspicious looking redhead slinked behind the car in the mayhem as the others ran.

The two commanding officers watched the session continue on. Cloud moved slowly but with more caution than most, but in the end he lost when someone beat him to it. It was one of the boys who had used the human shields. He had climbed into a tree and seemed to be giving orders to the people on the ground. Probably promising to cover them, Zack figured. As the others got picked off as they slithered closer on their bellies, the one in the tree took aim and fired at the center circle. He won, but his "squadron" lost almost all its men.

Zack smiled down at Cloud, who was probably dismayed at being so close. Cloud was by far a better SOLDIER than the man who sacrificed his companions, and Zack knew it showed. Honor in battle was respected in SOLDIER. The man that used his comrades selfishly wasn't welcome.

Inside SOLDIER itself the elite squads had a kind of fraternal bond that banded them together. SOLDIERs that worked only for themselves, no matter how good, were frowned upon. It always became apparent too because SOLDIERs worked in small platoons. Any man who couldn't work with the team could face a lot of trouble. Cloud wouldn't have a problem there, Zack thought proudly. The kid had it made.

Sephiroth turned away as the practice ended, thinking along the same lines as Zack, though not as glowingly. There were always bad apples in the cadet groups, and Sephiroth was rather thankful he had the authority to make sure none of them got into SOLDIER. Unfortunately, that authority also meant he had a lot of papers to sign and busywork to get done. Zack cleared up his own mess and followed Sephiroth back outside to the main Headquarters. Privately he volunteered that he would keep the General updated on Strife's progress. Cloud had real potential, and he wouldn't let Sephiroth forget that.

* * *

Thursday seemed to come and go in a blur. Cloud's mind had grown preoccupied with thoughts of the slums, of meeting Aeris, and he hadn't been able to properly focus on much else. No one really picked up on it though since everyone was too concerned with their own plans to give him much thought. He preferred it that way.

Reno was equally as fidgety. As a cadet, there weren't a lot of chances to really go under the plate. Free time was usually sparse, so chances like tomorrow were rare. Weekends were generally tied up in extra sessions with instructors, short "missions" which were mostly errands within the compound, and if a cadet was lucky, a trip outside Midgar. It was likely that Reno missed some of the activity and atmosphere of the slums. All this structure and rigid order was probably getting to him. As for Dan, he hardly seemed any different. He came from a small town outside Kalm, not too far from the Chocobo Farm, but far enough that he probably hadn't seen the parade before, and that's what he was most looking forward to.

While the other cadets were excited for the next day, Cloud had been both anticipating and dreading his evening lesson. In the end though, it hadn't been that eventful. As the session wore down, Cloud was even enjoying it. Zack was more relaxed and cheerful than the previous one, and seemed a little more willing to ignore his suspicions for the time. Cloud was relieved at this change of heart, but it also piqued his interest. He wondered just what put Zack in such a good mood.

Zack showed Cloud some quick flexes he could practice until Tuesday. The SOLDIER planned to show him some new techniques, but he needed to be more supple and flexible to perform them. As he ran through the various positions, most stressing legs and calves, Cloud had a pretty good idea of what Zack wanted to show him, so the blond ran through the motions eagerly. This particular move, a sidekick followed up with a quick slash of the sword, was terribly useful with a regular sword. Cloud hadn't really needed it for the Buster Sword—it was a little too unwieldy for this technique—but a regular sword made it a mandatory move. It was also something cadets didn't touch on, and Cloud felt more than ready to "learn" it.

The session closed with Zack laughing at Cloud's abysmal flexibility. The blond hadn't been particularly agile as a kid, and in AVALANCHE all the women and even Vincent surpassed him there. He was probably better off than most cadets, but still very far behind SOLDIER.

As he opened the door to his bunker and began to methodically remove his clothes for bed, he mentally added flexibility stretches to his morning routine. Already his body was getting used to functioning on few hours of sleep. The change was difficult, but with mako injections as a SOLDIER any side effects would be erased. Cloud wasn't worried.


	9. Slumming It

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Nine: Slumming It**

There were three windows in Cloud's bunker, all lined up against one wall and hardly taller than his two hands. These windows were on the east side of Shinra and therefore managed to get some of the first rays of the sun.

Cloud's bed was never hit with sunlight though because the windows had been blocked with newspaper and magazine pages for all the kids who liked to sleep in. But as the room warmed and the color drifted along the far wall, his senses became alert and he began to wake. It had been this way almost all his life after AVALANCHE, and these days back in Shinra were no different. It was still annoying though sometimes, particularly on nights where he didn't sleep well. Sometimes his dreams were interrupted with violent memories, and others were just the passive images of floating in an oversized test tube, too numb to feel anything. He didn't know why it fluctuated, but he was thankful to get some form of restful sleep sometimes.

He rolled off the bed and smoothly on to his feet in one motion. He never felt fully awake just after getting up, but he could function well enough until his body got moving. He rubbed his eyes to rid the grogginess and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He moved away from the bed, carefully and quietly shifting clothing and various objects that his roommates had tossed about, to clear an open space for him to warm up. It didn't take much to get a simple workout in, and hardly longer than an hour at the most.

Cloud opened up his routine in the same way he had done for the last couple of days. Only this time, he incorporated some of the stretches Zack had taught him, pushing his flexibility to its limits. To get the blood moving a bit more quickly, he punched the air several times and kicked out with each leg, his feet slicing through the beams of light slowly moving across the wall.

Satisfied and considerably more awake now, Cloud started on his strength exercises. These ones he disliked, because they were so time-consuming and frustrating, but necessary. They were often painful and reminded him distinctly of his lack of mako. That alone irritated him. The slow progress and proof of his lack of strength hurt his pride more than he liked to admit, and reminded him of how far he had to go to reach SOLDIER—and how strong he had been before.

The first one was for his abdominal muscles. These were easily some of the most important muscles in his body as many basic moves required great strength there. He laid flat on the floor on his stomach, then slowly lifted his body onto his forearms and toes. By maintaining a completely straight line with his back and buttocks, he could hold the position for forty seconds. His abs burned at the end, but he wasn't completely done.

To get a complete abdominal workout, he had to work all parts of the abs. He had to be at full capacity for anything and every muscle had to be honed. Working out his abs was a quiet reminder of Tifa too. In the early mornings as they traveled with AVALANCHE, she would do some quick sit-ups to keep her stomach tight. Every time he did them, he could imagine her next to him on the grass or dirt near the campsite, studiously counting under her breath.

Sit-ups were only the beginning of the process. Cloud did three different types of exercises, each flexing and stressing a different part of his abs. He did regular sit-ups, curling up on the floor and forcing his stomach muscles to hold up his upper body to touch his knees. It wasn't long, with only his lower back on the floor, before this position got extremely uncomfortable. Regular crunches were easier, but still painful after all the work he had already done. Reverse crunches were excruciating, but Cloud bit his lip and refused to make a sound or contort his face to show the pain.

To keep the throbbing of his complaining muscles in the back of his mind, Cloud mulled and plotted as he stared at the ceiling. Over the years, fighting on rough terrain against vicious monsters, Cloud had perfected the art of detaching his mind from his body. It came in useful even here and it would be vital in SOLDIER.

He blinked up at the ceiling, his thoughts transferring to the SOLDIER exams. He had a serious advantage with all the knowledge he had, and he needed to milk it for all it was worth. Once he was through, he'd be in SOLDIER, a step closer to Zack and Sephiroth.

Sephiroth… Cloud's already flushed face was tinted just a bit darker. That man was everything Cloud had missed. In AVALANCHE's time, the General had been like a different person—so much crueler, his very being perverted. But now, all those qualities everyone had admired and loved about the man were evident again. Like how in the office when they met he had been commanding but never callous. He was respectful to subordinates, and friendly with Zack, but there was always a clear sense of who was in charge. There was a casual power he exuded that had always made the General distinctive among the other leaders of Shinra.

And his hands. Those long, sculpted fingers, Cloud couldn't get the image out of his mind. Once before they'd been covered in blood. With a sporadic twitch they had pointed at him, translucent white and drawn. Tense with rage, with feverish hate. Now though, they were this creamy pale color, supple and quick. He had even nails and dexterous movements. Every finger was long and contoured, a pianist's hands with infinite strength. The way Sephiroth had splayed them on the desk as he leaned forward, or pushed away his long hair, the hands had been the things that caught Cloud's attention most.

That and his eyes.

Abruptly the ceiling began to waver a bit and the pain began to register. He'd lost track of just how many reverse-crunches he'd done and his body bitterly complained. He relaxed back on to the floor, laying there on his back and clenching his eyes shut to ward off the moisture that pooled there. He wasn't sure if it was from the exercise's strain or from the thoughts of Sephiroth.

He stood, rubbing a hand along his aching belly, and moved towards his schoolbooks. Shinra required certain books to be read and many of them were thick tomes with language that most cadets couldn't even read. Some were hardly literate if they came from the slums. Cloud had no use for the books—they were tactics and swordplay basics that couldn't really be taught by reading words—but they did come in handy for his exercises.

Cloud stacked up four books, some his and some Dan's, on each hand, then lifted up each pile until his arms were level with his shoulders. After twenty seconds of this position, his muscles began to quiver with the strain, but Cloud curled his fingers around the books more securely and fought to hold them longer. This exercise was difficult, but vital. In swordplay, speed and strength in swinging the sword come not just from arm muscles. Shoulder and back muscles also play a huge part in keeping one's strikes straight and keeping one's defense up when taking the full force of a hit.

Cloud stressed more work on these muscles, as they were the ones that would also be doing a lot of heavy lifting when it came to the Buster Sword. They were some of the most important ones if he ever wanted to be good enough for SOLDIER and what he ultimately had to do.

This exercise not only tested his strength, but his balance. When he had first started it, he had occasionally dropped the books. It had only been two then, and usually his reflexes were fast enough to catch them, but there had been some near misses when somebody stirred at the sound of the book connecting with the floor. A suddenly awakened cadet, with the wrath of most teenaged boys, or a broken toe, was a great incentive to learn to do things quietly.

Cloud finished off the rest of his exercises until morning really set in and the room was beginning to fill with golden light. He started up his quiet warm down by the end. His body was shining with a light sheen of sweat and his muscles quivered from lack of rest.

He was ready for the day.

* * *

It was Friday, finally their day off, and all anyone could talk about was the parade. Dan's insistent inquires all through breakfast about where Cloud would be had grown increasingly annoying. The brown-haired cadet seemed to want confirmation of where he could meet Cloud and at exactly what time. The blond had given him vague answers and admitted that he had no idea when or even if he would show up to watch the parade. Dan pouted when Cloud's resolute answers became stiffer and his annoyance more obvious.

Reno smirked into his food as he watched the interplay. Cloud's frustration at Dan found another outlet with Reno, even if just a bit. The redhead was enjoying the conversation far too much, or at least the fact that he inadvertently was causing it. Cloud shot him a warning look. He knew the two boys weren't on the best of terms. The blond thought it was about morals or something, Reno's being so loose and Dan's so uptight. Reno just snickered at Cloud's look, flicking his gaze to Dan momentarily, then pointedly looking back at Cloud. The blond ignored it in favor of an even sharper glare.

The three sat together through breakfast, cold cereal and milk the only edible things on the food line. There wasn't much else to eat, and Reno had insisted on everyone having the brightest-colored cereal they could find. Cloud's bowl was swimming with red and blue flakes that were slowly coloring his milk a murky brown. His face didn't show it, but he was repulsed by it, and his appetite was all but gone.

Reno slurped his bowl dry then stood up. "I'll meet up with you in a second Cloud, just gotta get something." Cloud saw the way Dan's eyebrows furrowed together, and the blond knew he had noticed the way he was ignored. Cloud nodded to Reno, but didn't leave immediately. He didn't want Dan to feel too bad, so he waited until the other boy had finished off his own food, then they both headed to the hallway together.

"I'm going to see if I can get a few more hours of sleep, Cloud. Then I'll see if I can win those gloves back from O'Connell later. I lost them in a bet and he won't stop showing them off." He smiled at Cloud. "What'll you be doing?"

"Exercise. Looking around Midgar." It wasn't a lie. And it was close enough to the truth to keep Dan quiet if he heard otherwise. Dan was starting to sound like Tifa with all the questions. He'd been irritating before, but now it was so much like Tifa's crush all over again that it made things a little awkward with them sometimes. Cloud had never really gotten the hang of how to deal with Tifa then, and now it was happening again, and he still didn't know what to do.

"Alright. If you come by the parade, find me. I'm going to try to be down by the shops, including that one with all the army surplus. That bend is supposed to be a good spot to see everything." Cloud only nodded as Dan rambled a bit before finally the boy trotted down the corridor.

Cloud wasn't entirely sure why he didn't feel comfortable telling Dan where he was going. Maybe it was because Dan was more conscientious of the rules or that the boy might want to tag along in the slums, but then, Cloud didn't want Reno there with him the whole time either. Maybe it was because he could be more upfront about telling the redhead to back off. Dan was quick to make assumptions while Reno at least thought things through.

Cloud shook his head; balancing out friends here in the cadet training wasn't a priority. He had to get a decent weapon for emergencies and talk with Aeris. Some of the fog in his head might just clear up then.

The cadet barracks were an unattached building to Shinra Headquarters and one of the farthest buildings from the station. Cloud headed outside and caught sight of Reno leaning against the building, a cigarette in his mouth. He blew out some smoke and smiled brightly at the blond. "Got rid of the leech? Good. We'll take the train to the Sector 7 station, that's the only one under the plate. From there we'll have to walk."

Cloud nodded absentmindedly and walked past Reno. The sky was a shade of hazy blue like a polluted ocean, but the clouds were a light grey. The far off sounds of voices and the wind were all Cloud could hear and for a moment it was kind of peaceful. A train whistle, a curse from Reno as the boy took one last puff before tossing the butt away, and Midgar snapped back into reality.

He kept walking as the redhead jogged up to match Cloud's pace. He was dressed in some loose clothing, probably concealing weapons, while Cloud had on a simple muted-green sweater and military pants. He didn't have much clothing other than the Shinra stuff, so he had peeled off the Shinra insignia label on these pants. No one used them for training anyway—too thick and too many pockets—but they were perfect for the slums.

Speaking of the slums, Cloud turned his head slightly to peek at Reno from the corner of his eye. They were about even in height, though Reno would grow a bit lankier and taller than Cloud. The blond was wondering how exactly to get separated from Reno for a bit to pop in on Aeris. He could "get lost" and disappear on him, which probably wouldn't work knowing Reno, or just ask him if they could go their own ways for a bit. Reno might get the hint, but then he might not, or even worse he might try to tail Cloud. He could knock the guy out, but Reno was pretty quick on his feet and he knew some dirty tricks… Maybe Cloud could try and knock him out later, when he had more time, so he could learn some of Reno moves.

It didn't really matter how he got alone though, just as long as Cloud could get over to Sector 5. Aeris could be the key, and it unnerved Cloud deeply to have everything hinge on that. If she couldn't give him the answers, where would he get them?

* * *

Tickets down to Sector 7 were cheap, so they both handed the money over without too much thought. The lady at the counter gave Cloud an appraising eye, which Reno nudged him about and Cloud steadfastly ignored. 10 Gil was nothing to get down there, but getting back up was another matter. Shinra IDs were usually necessary, and it cost about 50 Gil for one ticket, an exorbitant price below the plate.

The train was already in the station so they boarded immediately. Only the last two cars stopped at the Sector 7 station, so Cloud and Reno had to walk to the back of the train. These last compartments had only a handful of people in them, mostly maintenance workers for Shinra who couldn't afford to live above the plate. They stared a bit at the two teens, but looked away when Cloud met theirs eyes with a glare. Reno just ignored them. The redhead looked like he belonged on that dirty train, more than he did on the Shinra compound.

The two cadets took their seats. Many of the cushions and backs of the seats had jagged rips in them most likely from bored passengers and aggressive teens. The fluff was smattered on the raggedy carpet along with wads of chewing gum, old flyers, pencils, straws, and coffee stains. The smell of the entire compartment was like the cadet locker room: sweaty, with the stink of urine and musk mixing in. The cracked lights above them flickered often, and Cloud winced at the horrible shuttering and screeching as the wheels ran along the tracks.

The ride was relatively short and for that Cloud was thankful. He had never ridden in the last car; in fact he usually ended up either on top of the train or fighting through the cars. He was glad for it, especially now that he had the dubious pleasure of being a normal passenger.

He and Reno were two of about ten people coming off the train at the station, but a number of people got on. A flood gate of older men and women along with a couple of the younger children forced their way through the doors, pushing aside the people coming out. They probably hoped to see the parade in all its glory while they had a chance to find a spot to watch.

Cloud watched them go, children's faces full of excitement. When he was younger he would have given anything to see Sephiroth in person, but now, after all he had seen the thought of this farce of a parade made him rather sick. Ostensibly it was to celebrate those who had died in the war, but Shinra had turned it into a propaganda machine.

Reno nudged Cloud as the whistle sounded and the train began to chug away. The two boys stood on the platform of the train station watching it go. The station was really just a strip of concrete maybe twenty feet long at its widest, only long enough for two train cars to stop at. As soon as the train was out of sight, but boys turned and began to walk.

The first thing Cloud noticed was the lighting. Only under the plate was there a perpetual shadow unbroken by daylight. The very air sucked the energy out of people, and it was a fight to keep moving and just living. There was always a bit of the stench of garbage and sweat that tended to catch at the back of the throat.

Aeris and her flowers were the most obvious exception. When Cloud had lived down here—even just briefly before he joined up with Barret and his group—he had searched for anything that represented something better, something to help him. He had spent those first weeks struggling to put together what had happened from the labs and what was him and what was Zack. Still, Aeris had been one of those good things that made the gloom more bearable. The only way to live down here was through those small solaces. Cloud wondered briefly what kinds of things had kept Reno going.

Reno suddenly pointed over Cloud to their left, jarring the blond from his thoughts. Reno's body language betrayed his confidence in this atmosphere, the surety of his walk and mannerisms. Reno clearly felt at home in these surroundings, in a place he knew like the back of his hand. Cloud felt a little sad about it. There was no place like that for him. Cloud could barely remember his childhood in Nibelheim now, and what he did was marred by bullying, ostracism, and later the bridge incident. After torture at Hojo's hands and complete displacement from his past, nowhere could really be called home.

"See that way?" Reno's finger indicated a track of broken train rails that led through a wall and into darkness. "It's to the train graveyard. There's some low level monsters wandering around there, but you shouldn't go in. People get lost real easy in there and there's more dangerous parts farther in." Cloud knew what a maze the place was and nodded to Reno. He remembered fighting through there before.

They headed out on their right towards Sector 7, a hastily scrawled sign pointing the way. Cloud recalled the old Sector 7 distinctly. He looked around a lot as they entered, taking in the surroundings and the slight variations from how he remembered it. It was surreal, but also strangely nice to be in a familiar place he could remember well. Things weren't quite the same though, and he simple couldn't relax. Barret's hideout had been here along with Tifa's bar, Seventh Heaven. The building looked a little more rundown, but he figured that a business as filled with life as Tifa's had helped to spruce the place up. Right now it was an old hair salon, with a sallow-faced woman in the window.

As Cloud and Reno kept walking, Cloud could see where garbage and trash were the foundations of walls and roofs for people who lived here. The slums in this area were a shantytown, held together with bubble gum, string, and desperate prayers. Concrete beams that had been thrown away from the plate were what held up buildings and ceilings. Old signs considered obsolete on the plate and unclear advertisements were fastened together to make walls. Slabs of old cardboard and aluminum were stacked up to cover people's heads. Wires and plumbing climbed the walls of the buildings like vines.

They walked on a dirt-caked ground that children's bare feet left small indents in. A group of people were gathered by a well not far off, probably the only source of water for this area. The irony in using such an old-fashioned device in such a modern place wasn't lost on Cloud. He saw the tattered clothes people wore, the darkened eyes and sunken cheers of their faces. Children stepped and danced around broken beer bottles and the smashed remains of kitchen crotchety. Some houses didn't even have doors, their haggard and broken lifestyles spilling out into the street.

It was a sharp contrast from the life that would blossom after Meteor. There wasn't any inspirational graffiti, no colorful drapes or curtains, no welcome mats at doorsteps or plant life to speak of. After Meteor, the one good thing was that people came together and fought the problems that had plagued the city, letting the community flourish.

As they passed a particularly large pile of garbage on the outskirts of town, Cloud's nose automatically wrinkled from the stench. For once he was glad not to have mako enhancements—if he thought it was strong now he couldn't imagine how a SOLDIER would find it.

Reno laughed outright at the look on Cloud's face. "You'll get used to the smell. It's not this bad in more populated areas, but Sector 7 and Sector 5 have some of the worst slums." Reno looked around for only a moment before walking down the main path that wound around three main buildings and numerous smaller ones. One of the biggest, along with a three-story apartment complex and a small hut that sat right on the road, was Barret's hideout. Now it was just a large house for a group of people. Some people lingered about, but they only gave Reno and Cloud a curious look before turning away.

As Cloud stared at the evidence of Shinra's greed, sparks of anger began to light inside him. So few people came down to the slums anymore, all they imagined was the life of Shinra on the plate. The world down here was how the other half lived and it was repulsive. How could anyone live with themselves for letting it fester this way?

Cloud kicked at the ground, the anger building and climbing inside him as he stared around and breathed in the odor of degenerated life. One day, somewhere in the future, he'd have a nice chat with Rufus when this was all over. He'd make sure he knew to what extent of filth these people lived in and that Cloud expected him to fix it.

Reno put a hand on one of Cloud's tightly clenched fists. He hadn't realized the blond would be so affected. While Reno would normally would be thinking along the lines of "too little too late", he remembered that Cloud came from a small mountain town—poverty in a town of 250 is very different than poverty in the biggest city in the world.

"Come on, things'll be brighter once we get to some of the livelier sectors. This one is pretty bad." Reno directed with his head to the exit, marked by a wired fence covered with warnings and no trespassing signs. Cloud watched for a moment as Reno walked away. His red hair was the brightest thing here.


	10. The Back Market

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Ten: The Back Market**

The hot spray of the shower sizzled and writhed above his head in steam. Reveling in the feeling of both the heat and cold, Sephiroth leaned back against the cool tiles, comfortable in his nudity. He flicked his hair from his face before looking into his reflection in the glass. He wiped the fog away to get a better look at himself.

_Demon…_

He stared at the image, his eyes roving critically over the muscle definition that came from a life spent training to be in peak condition, the sheer expanse of pale skin unmarked, no scars a warrior could be proud of. Proof of the genetic meddling that had created the closest thing to a perfect warrior science was capable of.

_Monster…_

He looked away sharply, letting his wet hair hang in front of his face and block the view of his profile.

Sephiroth let out another long breath, enjoying the steady thrum of the water as it struck the top of his head. He could forget about all the terrible acts he had committed, the murders, the painful childhood. Mendacity soothed the ravaged beast.

Today was the parade, and he hoped to postpone the nightmare just a little bit longer. It was worse than battle because it was something he couldn't fight back against. He could deny Shinra and their propaganda by refusing to go—always a tempting thought—but the drawbacks would be sharp, not the least of which was that his SOLDIERs would still be out there, even if the General refused to show. If they had to be there, then Sephiroth would suffer through it with them.

As the water continued to pound, Sephiroth's hair turned a steely gray color and clung to the corded muscles of his back and wrapped around the tense strength of his arms. It was quite heavy and constrictive, and often more a pain than a blessing, but Sephiroth didn't want to cut it. His long hair was one of the few vanities he maintained. Not only did it anger Hojo at the absurd length, but it was also something Sephiroth spent time caring for, not killing. The feeling of the slick conditioner, sliding over his scalp, and the routine meditation of combing it at night was worth any aggravation over the length.

Sephiroth pulled away from the wall and stepped more fully under the spray, slowing peeling the hair twisted around him to throw it all behind him, closing his eyes. He didn't think he could possibly stay sane at the parade. All the people would be shouting and cheering, his men marching in time, each step and yell blaringly loud in his ears. Then to stand there at the podium with the President swelling with pride like a balloon about to burst… Though he wouldn't mind slaughtering most of the Shinra executives, he could hardly afford to lose all control in such a crowd.

The stress was already beginning to catch up with him, he realized, and he tried to push the thoughts away. He looked through the shower's glass wall to his uniform. It was a fine white silk with heavy shoulder ornaments, stripes in red and pins decorating it. The whole ensemble looked absolutely ridiculous, and he glared fiercely at it as it hung on the large bathroom's door.

Sephiroth tipped his head back and willed away the aggression, but thoughts of the parade made him tense, even angry. He had barely thirty minutes before he needed to round up the SOLDIERs and lead them out, and that left few ways to burn off this energy.

Sephiroth glanced down, contemplating. He didn't really have time, unless he wanted something quick. He preferred more time, not one to do something by haves, but sometimes it was necessary, and at least it would take the edge off.

The muscles in his stomach clenched as he wrapped his strong fingers around his hardening length, beginning to pump slowly, twisting his wrist, thumb rubbing the head just right. He never had one lover long enough who knew what he liked, but he could imagine.

Smaller hands, gentle but firm, calloused, and a lean body that pressed up against his chest, he could feel his nipples harden as he imagined a soft breath exhaled against them. He stepped back until he could lean against the wall, letting the hand that touched him quicken.

He could almost envision his lover. Male, his lover had always been male. Sephiroth didn't think he could stand condemning someone to a life as a monster, especially his own child. He focused on the ripple of muscle in his imagined love, the way his mouth would open wide in arousal, eyes glazed. He'd have a lithe body, compacted strength, satiny soft neck, and some of the wildest cries and pleads that had to be wrung out but were worth the effort.

His hand moved faster as he imagined the warm, gripping heat and the tight shoulders just at the level of his mouth. His lover would gasp, beg him for more, every time Sephiroth cupped and stroked him he'd buck and beg. How he could kiss sweet lips, devour him whole, nip and bite him until he bled. Until his lover knew who he belonged to.

The heat in his belly began to spread, his abs defined at the exertion. The building pressure mounted as the constant thrumming of the water hit his chest and shoulders. He rocked himself into his hand, almost reaching out to caress the fine bottom he imagined himself inside, maybe red from a spank, and so tight and hot. He wanted to pull his lover back against him, make him arch against him, whisper something dirty in ear, bite the beautiful flesh and let it be known he was no one's but Sephiroth's. He didn't stop as his hips left the cool wall for a moment, then slammed back into it again. The feeling was so intense, so brilliant he repeated the action again and again.

He let out a sharp breath as he climaxed powerfully, all his muscles tensing then relaxing, suspended for a moment like a Greek statue caught in an instant of ecstasy. He wanted to lean forward and rest his forehead against the soft shoulder, feel the shaking body tremble and turn into him, lean on him and hold him and enjoy the afterglow in bliss with his lover. Just as Sephiroth blinked and shoot the hair free from his face, he could almost imagine the blue eyes that peaked over their shoulder up at him.

* * *

"Let me tell you about the slums since I doubt you know too much, mountain boy." Reno barked and laughed a bit, but Cloud didn't crack a smile. "There's eight sectors, an' each has a reactor in it. Some reactors are bigger than others. A huge wall, then a reactor, then another wall divide sectors. Sometimes, if the reactor is small enough, people build in the open area there. They don't build houses though, 'cause some kids have popped out wrong—you know, missing arms and three eyes and stuff." Cloud ignored the blatant exaggeration of mako-influenced birth defects. "Usually it's just markets and the red light district and stuff. The train graveyard is like that. So is Wall Market. It's not properly controlled by Shinra, so things get a little wild." Reno smirked at that.

"The rest of the Sectors are essentially slums where the people live. A lot of them look like Sector 7, some are better though, but Sector 7 is quieter than most. If you get caught wandering around, oh, Sector 3, you'll get robbed at the drop of a hat," he continued.

Cloud remembered most of this and just followed Reno as they walked. Reno explained as they moved how they were going to get to Wall Market, where he had some friends who could get him an inexpensive but good weapon. "Wall Market is between Sector 6 and 7, but you can't access it from this side of the slums. We're gonna go through Sector 6 part of the way, then there's a gate in the wall where Wall Market will be."

When Cloud had been in Midgar, before Meteor struck and turned the remains into Edge, Sector 6 had mostly been a pile of rubble. He and AVALANCHE had blown up the Sector 5 reactor, and it had toppled and destroyed most of Sector 6. Now, the place was a little brighter, with some better houses that looked to have a logical construction. It was evidence of how close Wall Market was because the better homes were around it.

As they walked up the main road up to the market, Reno expertly weaved through the people while Cloud followed a little more carefully. A kid up ahead of Reno and Cloud was also making his way through the crowd. He looked nonchalant, though he fought against the tide of people as he cut through the road. Reno spied the quick hand that nabbed a fancy pin off a woman's shirt: Pickpocket. Reno smirked. The kid was clearly relatively new to the job, because that lady had a bag with some expensive looking make-up that would have reeled in more cash than a pin.

The redhead glanced at Cloud, noting his outfit. He blended in better than most people from outside Midgar, but the way his eyes moved over the buildings and people revealed how new the place was. If the pickpocket were smart, he would probably notice it then make a snatch for Cloud's pocket. Reno slipped between two women in front of Cloud, effectively catching the pickpocket as he made to go around, eyes only on his next target, and dragged him off to the side of the road.

"Don't get caught next time." Reno flashed the kid a cocky smirk, his grip on the boy's wrist a little too tight. The kid's bright brown eyes narrowed in a glare at Reno's own green. Still he didn't argue with the older boy, likely knowing that he was being let off easy. The redhead shoved him away, almost knocking the kid over as he fell into an older woman.

Cloud watched in silence, and Reno turned his head slightly to look out of the corner of his eye at him. The blond just looked at Reno, and the redhead shrugged at the lack of outward response to the incident. He filed it away though, because surely a small-town boy had never dealt with a pickpocket.

They kept walking, and eventually Cloud spotted a familiar playground set off to the side. The blond faltered just a half step as he looked at it, remembering his run-in here with Tifa so long ago and how empty and abandoned the place had been. All these people had probably died when the reactor fell, he thought suddenly. He was a little shocked to realize he hadn't even considered it. He had become wrapped up in his world and how it changed, let alone the changes that affected the unknown faces around the planet, like the ones he saw now. No one had warned the people here, no one counted the dead, he had never known or even conceived of how many people lived in this hellhole before.

Past the playground was the opening to Wall Market. As soon as they escaped the crush Cloud was able to take in the sight of Wall Market again. At least on the surface it hadn't changed much from how he remembered. Tons of shops and stores were lit with bright lights, customers crowded around the wares and shopkeepers shouting prices and exchanging money. The odor of garbage was hidden behind the smell of spices, cooking food, and cheap perfume. There was color everywhere in the clothes, the hair, and the shops, starkly different from the gunmetal gray above the plate. Voices were everywhere too, arguing prices, calling for friends and children, and hawking wares. It was like all the life and color of the slums was gathered in one place.

Reno was practically beaming as bright as the neon lights of the inn off to their left. Cloud thought the redehad looked rather funny with that idiotic grin on his face, but he didn't comment. "Welcome to Wall Market." Reno grinned and slapped him on the back. "Let's get going. Up ahead is a weapons shop my friend runs. He'll get us some stuff he doesn't sell normally." Reno actually sounded gleeful. Cloud remembered that this was where Reno had grown up—the plate must seem an alien place in comparison.

Cloud and Reno made their way up the street, sometimes fighting against the crowds. It was chaotic, and Cloud more than once had to watch his pockets from being picked. Reno had no problem slapping people's hands if the drifted too close. Cloud, a little unnerved at the proximity of the people and still new to the idea that someone would even attempt to rob him, stepped out of their reach if they came too close. It was like a dance, as he sidestepped them and moved, making it discreet as possible. Reno's annoyed shout as the same kid came back twice was anything but. AVALANCHE before hadn't had any problem with thieves—Barret and his gun arm was frightening enough to give them a ten-foot radius, and one flash of mako-glowing eyes got you a wide berth.

They broke into the next area where there was a gap in the crowds. It was a little calmer here, with mostly men loitering about and arguing with each other. The local gym was closest to them, a little cardboard cutout in the wall, where loud music and cheering shouts along with bet calls were heard. Cloud shuddered a bit as he remembered "Big Bro", the gym owner, who was a little too enthusiastic about cross-dressing. Cloud said a quick prayer to the Planet that no one he knew in this timeline would ever find out about that little incident. Farther up ahead was a tavern, where softer music played and smoke wafted out of the door. Men stood outside, lighting up and joking with each other.

Reno pointed to the building across from the tavern. "That's the shop we're gonna hit. They have a backroom full of stuff you can't find anywhere else except from corrupt Shinra officials." Reno laughed again as they headed towards it.

The weapons shop was ordinary as he stepped in. The main room was open, with one shelf right in the center with a variety of rounded weapons and shields sitting on it. There was a barrel full of small projectiles, the way some stores had barrels of candy, and some sharpening tools were resting on the floor by the wall. The rest of the display lined the walls and climbed to the ceiling. Cloud was vaguely surprised that the thin walls could even hold that much weight. Though given how predominate weapons were under the plate, the owner probably did good business down here.

The man at the counter wore a grimy shirt that may have been white once, with a shock of black hair on his head. He grinned widely, revealing two missing teeth, and promptly jumped over the counter in a quick move to greet Reno.

"Red! Yer back! Shinra hasn't poisoned ya yet I see. Must mean they like ya. You here for somethin' special?" Reno laughed brightly as both slapped five before tensing their biceps like they were going to arm wrestle. It must have been some kind of secret handshake. They caught up for only a moment, Cloud hanging back behind Reno scoping out the shop. Reno seemed to remember he was there fairly quickly though.

The redhead gave the man a bright grin. "Yeah Chip. This is Cloud, fellow cadet who needs a little somethin'." Cloud noticed that Reno's slang had suddenly gotten a lot heavier, his accent much thicker. "He's a sword guy, so anythin' with a blade should do. No guns for you Cloud?"

"No."

The owner grinned again, and winked at Reno when he thought Cloud wasn't looking. "Then you'll wanna come this way boys. Got some special stuff in you might just like."

The backroom was impressive. Automatic pistols were in a box on the floor, the ammo piled up right next to them. Shotguns that had already been neatly sawed off were leaning against the wall. Variations on military rifles, upgraded barrels, infrared and x-ray scopes, dangerous poisonous and acidic bullets, and ones that shattered on contact filled up crates all over the room. Some of the rarer and more expensive weapons were back here along with the illegal ones. Scimitars and wickedly curved blades, scythes and axes, rods that unsheathed to be swords, and maces and spears decorated the walls and hung from the ceiling. Behind the crates there was a small work area where Cloud assumed the owner fixed broken weapons. Various parts of a rifle were there, scattered along with jars of oil and several old rags covered in grease.

"We got somethin' for everyone. See anythin' you like, Blon–?" Cloud cut him off before he could finish.

"I know what I need."

There was something a little unnerving in Cloud's gaze, as he glanced over at the proprietor. Zack called Cloud 'Blondie', but it was all in good fun. Cloud didn't really like that nickname coming from anyone else though.

"I need something small that I can slip through security and carry around. Daggers, boot blades, shuriken, something of that nature." Cloud watched the man closely. People who ran businesses like this could be very dangerous and the guy might rip him off, even with Reno's watchful eye.

"We've got some right good daggers if you're interested." The guy rearranged his poker face and scurried over to one wall, pulling down a couple of sheathed daggers. Some were more like small knives, hardly longer than Cloud's extended hand, while others were longer than his forearm. The quality wasn't too bad; at least the weight was even.

Reno watched Cloud silently; surprised by the way Cloud handled himself. Reno hadn't expected a mountain boy to be so confident in this environment. He knew what he was looking for, and it was slightly intimidating to see him like this. He definitely wouldn't be seriously ripped off now.

Cloud moved forward and picked one of the longer ones up. It was a dagger with a double-edged blade, made for stabbing and thrusting. They were best as secondary weapons, but incredibly useful in close range fighting. This one was poor quality though, and sported a stub tang. Those tended to shatter and Cloud discarded it with a brief look.

Cloud picked up several others as Chip looked on. Reno, bored and ignored, wandered about the room examining some of the uncommon weapons. He admired the artwork on some Wutain katana and even inspected some hand bombs, but his eyes alighted on a small rod.

"Hey, Chip. That thing extend or what?" The owner moved to the other side of the room to explain the weapon Reno was pointing out. Cloud only gave them a quick glance, recognizing the item as crude looking Nightstick. Figures. Clearly it was fate, the inevitable love Reno had for that particular weapon. Cloud had been hit one too many times by that thing though to feel anything less than distaste for it.

The man looked away for too long and Cloud deftly slipped one of the smaller daggers into his waistband. He didn't feel too much guilt over it, the guy had tons more in another crate, and Cloud knew his priorities were more important than emotions right now. It never hurt to be prepared, and he could really only afford one weapon. He lifted the one in his hand to the light. It wasn't really a dagger, more of gladius really. Unlike daggers, gladii were short swords that could be used for cutting like a regular sword. It was useful, and could even be used as a main weapon until Cloud could get a hold of a real sword. They were small enough too that it could fit in a shopping bag or a backpack. He paid for the purchase with most of his meager savings, and Reno even managed to secure him a small discount.

The price was still a little higher than Cloud expected, especially for a dagger. He couldn't really complain, since this guy did have higher quality stuff, but any remaining guilt over the stolen dagger disappeared. They left the store soon after, Cloud carrying a nondescript brown paper bag. Inside were the gladius and its sheath. The licensing rule about purchasing weapons was only followed if you bought from the front room, Reno explained, so Cloud could literally walk out without signing a thing. There also wasn't much risk of the meager security force under the plate ever asking questions—they had a lot bigger things on their plate than one knife purchase.

As they walked, Reno got to talking about the various weapons he'd seen in use, mostly gun varieties, but he was quite excited by the nightstick, which was amusing to Cloud. "See, a nightstick is different—not just like any old staff. It has an electric charge going through it. So when you hit 'em, you shock 'em too."

Cloud nodded along, but he didn't really bother to hide his distaste for the nightstick. When you got hit by it as many times as he had, it was hard to like it. "You should just get a mace if you want to smack people over the head with a weapon. At least you can draw blood."

"Welts man. And you can't shock people with maces. Not to mention they're really heavy and not subtle at all. Not exactly my style."

"Subtle works, but in a tight spot those big weapons'll save your life. There are plenty of monsters that are big enough a gladius would barely make a scratch."

Reno shook his head, rat-tail hair whipping around to lie against his front shoulder. "There's subtle, there's conspicuous, and then there's ridiculous. Have you _seen_ the sword your SOLDIER guy carries? That's got to be at least five hundred pounds! That sword's maybe three times as wide as a regular sword—how is that logical to use?" Reno waved his arms about as he spoke, excited by an argument.

"It ends the fight before it even starts sometimes," Cloud said, shrugging before tacking on—"that's what Zack said. One swing of a buster sword will take down a really large monster. And it handles somewhere between a broadsword and a claymore."

The banter continued good-naturedly as they headed back into the main area of Wall Market. Cloud's knowledge on weapons was extraordinary, though he made sure to try to make references sound book-like rather than from experience. He couldn't exactly pin everything on Zack when he'd only "known" the First for a week.

Reno guided them into a restaurant and sat them down. The chairs on the inside were mostly stools, probably stolen from the bar up the street. Someone in the store had wised up though and chained them to the counter. The ones outside, like the ones Reno and Cloud were sitting on, seemed to be of all assortments. Reno had managed to nab what looked like a school desk's chair minus the desk, while Cloud got a legitimate wooden one. A man a couple feet away from them was seated on a lawn chair. Reno murmured something about only ordering canned drinks, and Cloud nodded his head without really thinking about it.

They talked for a while after ordering their food, Cloud making a point of asking for bottled water. Reno got a soda. The redhead moved the topic of weaponry off blades to guns, which he was more familiar with. Much to Cloud's surprise, Reno mentioned a triple-barreled gun he'd heard about on the street. "Man, I'd love to shoot that thing. What a beaut." Cloud unwittingly thought of Vincent's massive Cerberus gun, complete with engraved triple-barrel. The blond wasn't sure if Reno had seen the famous gun in the past, but it was an amusing thought.

Their seats were outside the restaurant, away from the crowds at the counter and booths, and in the little open area fenced in around it. They could watch the people rushing by and rest their legs. Cloud didn't admit it, but he was a little tired. All those exercises in the morning combined with all this unceasing walking was getting to him. Cloud's mouth tightened a little with displeasure as his mind automatically jumped to the advantages of mako, and instead he focused on back on the conversation.

The food came, and Reno crowed with relief as he put the first bite in his mouth. Cloud followed suit, but had enough self-restraint not to sigh blissfully the way Reno did. The food, though not as good as Tifa's, was heavenly in comparison to Shinra's gruel: soft, well-cooked chicken, flaky and perfect fries, green beans that were actually green, and all of it tasted amazing. Cloud savored each bite.

Both cadets visibly relaxed even more as they ate. Reno started up with a story about some adventure he had, how he tricked some goons after him into thinking the red thing up on the roof was a cat. They both laughed at Reno's imitation of a cat's meow, even hissing at some poor kid walking by. As Reno's story closed up, Cloud tried to think of something he could share. He didn't have too many good stories though, and the first one that came to mind was Corneo's and the cross-dressing experience. Cloud swore he'd never tell a soul that story, so he tried to think up a new one.

"Well, a mercenary who came to Nibelheim once told me this one. He came down from the mountain, and had cut through a forest to get there. He said there'd been a ninja with a wild battle cry and…"

Reno snorted loudly at Cloud's description of Yuffie, the "mysterious ninja", who robbed this guy blind of his materia. The way Reno laughed and his easy grin erased any inkling that he might have been suspicious of the story. Cloud was able to warm up to a bit. He still remembered yelling across that field at Yuffie, still so young and so erratic. She'd turned out to be incredibly loyal and a valuable member of the group, but he'd had his doubts at first.

The pleasant lull in the conversation abruptly ended when Cloud noticed the crowds on the street were getting agitated. He sat up pretty fast when he spotted the group coming down the street. They didn't even try to hide the fact that they were armed, and walked proudly through. The whispers of "AVALANCHE" that followed them said enough. They passed by without a second glance at anyone in the crowd, but Cloud felt himself go hot and cold inside.

Even though being a cadet was a little like being in a bubble, the world was still moving outside. Hojo was still running his grotesque experiments, and AVALANCHE was still very active and quite violent. Cloud remembered hearing about Elfé, the previous leader. Even if they had never met, Barret had held her in high regard.

AVALANCE had been a far more organized group under Elfé, almost like a miniature and unstable SOLDIER. They actually paralleled an awful lot, now that Cloud considered it. The main scientist, Fuhito, had mindless, powerful minions who were the blunt force for much of AVALANCHE's activities, along with a lot of cannon fodder recruits. Barret had never agreed with Fuhito, and so the moment Elfé and her closest fighters died, Barret had made sure Fuhito was out of the picture. This, Cloud discovered later, was not just out of cold blood, but also for revenge for the deceased Elfé.

This violent and barely-controlled AVALANCHE was still alive and running at this point in time. The AVALANCHE led by Barret and then by Cloud would not really form until after Sephiroth's disappearance and Cloud and Zack's incarceration by Hojo—well after this AVALANCHE collapsed. If Cloud diverted from the timeline as planned and saved Sephiroth's sanity, than the AVALANCHE he would later lead would never exist.

The thought was quite unsettling. Cloud knew the camaraderie of AVALANCHE was not worth the price of saving Sephiroth. Their lives would be better off not being a part of AVALANCHE, he told himself. He wasn't sure if he was convinced though.

Reno snapped his fingers in front of Cloud's glazed face. "You okay man? I've seen some of those guys around before and they're trouble. I'm sure you know what I'm talkin' about. You'd best steer clear of 'em."

Reno's wise words brought Cloud back. AVALANCHE now wasn't his problem. SOLDIER would quell anything they did, and they had no real part in the Jenova and Sephiroth issues. Cloud let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He needed to focus on SOLDIER and Sephiroth, and let Zack and the others worry about AVALANCHE.

Reno and Cloud finished up lunch and wandered around Wall Market. They had popped their heads into a variety to stores, but hadn't bought anything. Neither really had the Gil for it, especially if they wanted to go home.

Cloud was brainstorming ways to separate himself from Reno when Lady Luck dropped into his lap. Both Cloud and Reno had spotted the group of men hanging around outside a bar. They had the distinct appearance of thugs: heavy-set, muscular, loaded with poorly concealed weapons, and in general trying to look inconspicuous while being obvious about it. Reno laughed loudly at them, elbowing Cloud before realizing the men had seen them.

Cloud didn't recognize them or the symbol painted in blue on their bare arms, but the redhead must have. "I'm gonna get out of here Cloud. I'll catch up to you later. Look around, but don't get mugged all right? See ya later."

It was apparent they knew each other, because Reno took off down the nearby alley, and Cloud backed out of the way as the four men came after the redhead. Cloud was a little relieved they weren't interested in him; he really didn't need the attention. He did prepare himself to move though; Reno might need backup if things got nasty. Cloud watched in surprise though as Reno took a running leap and managed to grab the top of the wall. In one motion he hefted his whole body on top of it, then much to Cloud's amazement, jumped to the roof next to it. The four thugs at the bottom began to try a fireman's lift to reach the redhead.

Reno taunted them a bit longer while on the roof, shaking his butt at them and making faces and yelling rude remarks. Incensed, the men worked faster, but Reno took off with a serious head start.

The redhead was fluid at he leapt and ran along the rooftops. Nimble, and with a lot of practice, he was easily able to maneuver over and through obstacles in his way, propelling himself with his momentum. At the end of Wall Market, however, the wall that rose to the plate began. Cloud watched him with rapt attention, taking in everything as Reno moved, tailing him by ground. Cloud had done a lot of chasing and running in his life, and he'd never seen something like this.

_When the hell did Reno learn that?_

Far behind Reno on the roofs Cloud could see the thugs, just two of them, clambering slowly and clumsily across the shops. They'd never catch up to Reno as the redhead made an amazing long jump and took off deeper into the slums.

It took Cloud a moment to realize he was now alone. Reno had run off into the next sector, and would presumably double back, but likely he'd wait a bit before risking being spotted a second time. Cloud knew this was the only chance he'd get: time to head to the church in Sector 5.


	11. The Best Heroes are Tragic

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Eleven: The Best Heroes are Tragic**

The worn steeple of the church stood tall amidst the rubble of the slums, an emblem of a Midgar long gone. The roughly hewn stones were cracked and dirty but still standing, broken in places but unbending under the weight of the years. Cloud stood in the deep shadow cast by the flying buttress at the front of the church taking it in, feeling his heart brimming with unsaid emotion. Nostalgia choked him for just a moment, reminding him of the peaceful days he had lived here in the comfort of Aeris' memory and her beloved flowers.

A part of his soul floundered in agony though as he stared up at the two towers, one broken one not, aching. This place was a sanctuary, an untouched haven, like a painting in his memory. It brought feelings of relief and worry to his heart. Dare he touch it, reach out and potentially shatter the image, and if he did, would it be ransacked?

Flowerless?

Or would it still be the place of his reprieve, the answer to the voiceless questions and pleas he pitted to the Planet? What if she wasn't there or she didn't remember him? Could he take the confused expression, the polite smile and the way she might watch him warily like he was deranged? Could he put himself in that position?

Cloud gritted his teeth, overcome by doubt and annoyed by it. He couldn't prepare for this meeting and had no idea what to expect and it made him unaccountably nervous. No matter how many questions he had, he had to do this; he had to know.

He strode up to the heavy front door and paused, trying to hold on to the hope that things would work in his favor despite the clamoring fears. He traced just his fingertips along the wall, the barest of touches. "Optimism is the foundation of courage," he murmured to himself. Vincent might have smirked as he said it, as if he didn't quite believe in his own words, but Cloud knew it meant something.

One of the thick wooden doors was ajar and quite heavy when the blond pushed it open, and he marveled at how much more effort it took. He couldn't remember it ever being so difficult. The grinding sound of wood on stone echoed through the building as Cloud took a step inside, leaving the door open behind him. No one lived around here. For some reason this place had been spared from the ravaging of the slums. Aeris' church was like its own sanctuary in Midgar, so different than the rest of the city. There was a peace that settled there, delicate like the wings of a bird, but protective.

There was no one inside the main room, though it was obviously not abandoned since the ground was swept and the air was fresh. The roof still had the same missing boards where streams of sunlight made the dust dance. Cloud tentatively put his hand out into one of the beams near him, his lips curving into a brief smile as his hand began to warm. It was a small reminder of how this place had once been bathed in sunlight; the way Cloud remembered it after Meteor.

The flowers were in their same spot, growing next to the wooden pews and climbing up the wall like ivy. The whites and yellows of the blossoms were illuminated softly as they turned their faces to the sun. Cloud walked through the pews to the miniature field of flowers, admiring the bright colors, the vibrancy that brought this church to life. Some had creeping patches of brown from age, other looked back up at him, fresh and young. Carefully, almost afraid to hurt them with his heavy boots, he stepped into the patch. The flowers seemed to crowd around his feet, the dirt invisible under all their petticoats of petals. Cloud stood there in the flowers, admiring the way the light and shadows teased each other, until a shadow of a woman stood next to his own.

"Hello." Her quiet presence had always been with him, but to now feel her standing so close to him was almost overwhelming. Cloud had wanted this so badly, needed to know that she was there, still the Aeris he remembered, forgiving, welcoming, and compassionate. He did not turn, did not react immediately, just waited for the dream to break apart and shatter.

"Um…is everything alright?" Her soft hand reached for his shoulder, resting there carefully. Cloud could feel her fingers curling into the material and knew how the pads were delicate and soft like her flowers, the nails clean despite the gardening work, and he could feel the fragility in her grip. He turned slowly until Aeris' green eyes met his own blue.

It was the same as in the field, the same when they were in AVALANCHE, and finally after in his mind. He was both surprised and ready to see her alive. Part of him had never let her death go, even while he knew she forgave him and never blamed him. To see all of that in just a split second in her face was a little overwhelming for the blond.

"Hello." Cloud's voice was a little rougher than he intended, but she still smiled at him all the same. He could feel a little color rising to his cheeks as she curled her lips up like that with just the hint of her teeth showing. He didn't have the faintest idea what to say. Every question he intended to ask, all the confusion, it seemed to have fled the moment she touched him.

"Would you like to buy a flower? It's only a Gil." Her hand was still on his shoulder, friendly, almost motherly. He relaxed his muscles under his hand, letting the tenseness flow away.

Aeris was as beautiful as he remembered and he could hardly believe that she was there before him. Her pink dress was faded to a warm hue, spots of it thin and washed out from being worn so often. Her boots were stained with dirt from walking in the mud outside, and the laces were worn and broken. Her brown hair was full of curls, as if a child's nimble fingers had twisted them, and her eyes were warm. She was the epitome of innocence, of simple joy and good things.

Cloud, to his horror, could feel a sharp burning behind his eyes. It had been so long and now, looking upon her lovely face, he could hardly conceive how he ever went on after her death, how he could ever be forgiven for letting her die.

Her beautiful face turned down into a concerned frown. "Are you alright? Do you need to sit down, Cloud?" Her voice was gentle as he let himself be guided into the pew behind them. Before his feet the flowers unrolled like a living carpet, and he found himself staring hard at the gentle swaying of the petals as he fought back tears. He shook his head when Aeris asked if he wanted any water.

She closed her smaller hands around his and he looked up again. Her smile was radiant and pleased. "I'm so glad you've come, Cloud."

Her happiness was contagious and he could feel his lips twitching up into a soft smile in response to her own. Her laughter was like a wind chime. "Oh Cloud, there is more out there for you. The grim expression of a soldier isn't for you yet."

Confusion was the first thing that registered. She clearly knew who he was, even though in this time they had never met. But then, did she know about Sephiroth and the AVALANCHE she had been a part of? Did she know what had happened to him—what drove him, what had broken him, why he was always a soldier and nothing else?

"Aeris, I…"

She cut him off before he could say anything else. Her gentle hands squeezed his. "The Planet has to take this chance Cloud. This time things may not be so bad, not for everyone."

She looked to him eagerly as she said this, trying to impart something to him with her eyes. He stared back uncomprehendingly, the message not getting through. What was she trying to say?

Aeris shifted on the pew, using her free hand to shift her skirt a bit. He noticed the ruffled edges, how there was a small abrasion on her knee. He wondered absentmindedly where she had gotten it. Her other hand never left his. He swallowed quietly as she started again. "The Planet was sick and–"

"But the Geostigma was gone. We got rid of it," He cut in, sounding gruffer than he meant to. What was she talking about? Things were fine after Geostigma had been cleared up.

"Geostigma was gone Cloud, but that doesn't mean the Planet wasn't ill. So much evil…it clogged the Planet and there was nowhere for that kind of evil to go. The beautiful earth wouldn't be the same, and something had to be done."

Her eyes were brighter this time, wet with tears as her sentence tapered off into silence. The burning sensation behind his own had faded, but now he could feel it prickling at him again.

"The Planet sent me back in time." He meant it to be stronger; to sound surer of himself, but it came out in a whisper.

"Things are different Cloud, the future isn't set. What the Planet did was not only for itself, but for you and every life upon it."

"The Planet sent me back in time." He repeated it again, trying to wrap his mind around the inconceivable. The Planet was sick, so it sent him back in time. To stop it from becoming sick, from anything like Jenova's attack even happening. What about him, the hero of this twisted story? When did he get a rest? Or a choice?

…Or was that selfish?

He looked away for a moment, angry and confused and not sure where to direct the emotion. The sunlight was a little dimmer, the pews' wood harder and more unyielding as he sat on it. The mold on the wood and the holes in the ceiling were more visible than before. Every flower's color was paler, darker than he remembered.

She lifted his hand to her heart, holding it to her breast, trying to communicate something to him. "The future isn't set yet Cloud." Her hand tightened around his, her fingers squeezing his slightly. She leaned forward a bit into him and Cloud turned back, noting how fine her hair was, the subtle play of colors turning it from brown into a prism of chocolate hues. He was thinking abstractly, not clearly, he couldn't grasp what she was trying to say.

"What do you mean the future isn't set? If I undo what happened before, things will continue the way they should have?" It came out sounding more like a question than the intended statement.

She just continued to stare up into his eyes, imploring him to understand what she seemed unable to say. She was unnaturally still, leaning forward, trying to make the words come through with her eyes.

"Isn't that right Aeris?" He glanced away then. "Can't everything that went wrong be stopped from the beginning? Won't everything be fine then?" He could feel his voice cracking, the way his muted whisper had grown in volume, more frenzied as he spoke. What was she saying?

"No Cloud. The future isn't set," she repeated a third time. The tears began to dribble down her face, collecting on her chin then falling on their joined hands. He looked away bitterly, staring at the altar as hard as he could.

The Planet wanted him to stop Jenova. Again. He knew that. It would save Sephiroth and all those lives. Again, he knew that. He had anticipated that. But "the future wasn't set". What did that mean? Shouldn't everything be fine if he stopped the snowball of events that ended in the Planet's near-death before? Wasn't Jenova the cause of the Planet's illness? If he destroyed the monster before it could infect the world, then shouldn't that be enough? Cloud looked to her, eyes begging and desperate. Was the Planet kidding? After all he had done, for himself, the people, the world, couldn't it just be that simple?

"No Cloud." Her small voice was firm despite the tears, her hold on his hand tightened even as he tugged to try and free it. "Fate and the Planet are not intertwined. Your destiny is to be a hero, and if you don't do it the way it was done before, some other obstacle will be presented."

His shoulders were beginning to shake, and he could feel the way she held his trembling hand, how she tried to steady it even though hers shook just as much. His blood was running cold in his veins; his ears were starting to ring. Their clasped hands were the only part of the world that wasn't spinning.

_Hero…_

He couldn't go back far enough to escape the stigma, the disease of that word.

"You deserve peace; you deserve your deepest heart's desire." As she said it she moved his hand to his heart, holding it there where he could feel the erratic beating. "I'm sorry Cloud. Things will be different. I know they will be."

The hand she held to his heart clutched at hers tightly. There were so many things he wanted, so many things he had given up before that she was offering to him now. Sephiroth's image held in his mind first; then Zack's, Vincent's, her own, each flashed by him. The names on the memorial for those who died in Meteor, Marlene, Tifa, his mother, and all the people whose lives had been ripped apart.

He turned away from her, willing the tears to stay. Why was his life so messed up? He couldn't seem to live in peace long enough to make it last. Before he could pull away from her completely, she softly touched his chin, and then cupped his face in her palm.

"Cloud, you will have your rest. Lighten your heart. The moon and stars aren't always visible, but they don't leave you. The Planet won't leave you Cloud, and I won't."

Before he could protest she brought his head to her shoulder, rubbing soothing circles into his back as he fought off the overwhelming despair that so wanted to be wanted to crawl into her lap and cry, have her kiss the tears and shush him like his mother had done ages ago.

She smelled of wild flowers; of the wind in a meadow blowing gently into his face and brought the indescribably perfume of hundreds of different flowers. She smelled like the earth, the roots seeped in it, the stems climbing high, the buds and petals. He could feel the soft cotton of her dress against his cheek, the gentle slope of her shoulder. She smiled and hummed a comforting melody into his ear, but the awful sick feeling of hopelessness did not leave him. He felt as if he had swallowed something slimy and it sat in his stomach.

"I failed you before Aeris. I couldn't save you." He murmured it into her dress, but she didn't seem to have a problem hearing him.

"Silly." He could feel the playful smile bloom on her face. "I wasn't gone. And how many times have we gone over this? There's nothing to forgive."

He only shook his head into her chest before attempting to pull away. She unlocked her hands from around him after a moment and let him sit up.

"I didn't protect you, and you died, Aeris."

"No one said it was your job to protect me. Cloud, I know you feel responsible, but sometimes there isn't blame to be had. I'm alive here, isn't that what matters? Unless you're saying I'm a ghost right now." She giggled lightly, brushing his fears aside the way she might brush pollen off her dress.

He hesitated. "No, but–"

"Cloud. This is a new start; so let that baggage go. Exhale and all your guilt will float away."

She gestured with her hand for him to actually exhale, so he did. He felt a little silly, sitting there and releasing all his breath in one whoosh. He breathed in again, and the strangest sensation settled over his lungs and heart. It felt like dust, some kind of residue that had been collecting there unnoticed, had been dislodged. He rubbed his knuckles against where his heart was, reveling in the freeing feeling.

Aeris turned away from him with a smile, but didn't explain it. She stood up, smoothing out her dress, before lightly stepping into the cluster of flowers. Her boots matched the color of the dirt, and it made it seem as though she, like her flowers, had grown out of the earth. Perhaps she had. She approached the altar of the church where a weathered stone angel stood, arms upraised and face turned to heaven. "Thank you." She inclined her head to the angel and Cloud felt the breeze sweep by him as it delighted in playing with her hair for just a moment.

Aeris turned back to him. "Cloud, would you like to buy a flower?"

Cloud half-smiled before slipping off the bench and squatted before the flowers. "Yes. One please."

Aeris smiled happily. Carefully she waded through the ankle-high flowers, seeming to search for the perfect one. Gracefully she reached down towards one flower, brushing her fingers carefully over the petals before gently plucking it from the ground.

"Here you go." He handed her ten Gil before she could say anything, slipping the coins into her pocket. He cautiously took the blossom from her hand, admiring the delicate white color and how on the inside was a small ring of bright green. Two of the petals flopped over his fingers, rubbing their satiny texture against his skin.

He thanked her quietly, pinching the stem of the flower between thumb and forefinger and holding the delicate blossom carefully. She took his hand just as he turned away. "Cloud, some things need to be handled with great care."

Cloud stepped away as she released his hand, his mind turning over her words. He walked back down the aisle, her presence warm and serene against his back. He could almost feel her smile through his clothes, and just as he got to the doors he briefly looked back to smile at her.

* * *

Wall Market faded to the background of Cloud's mind as he headed back into the busy shopping center. There was a serenity he carried with him that made his mind clearer than it had ever been before. He glided around the masses of people fighting their way through the streets, his steps light and even. He felt as though he had lost twenty pounds, and if he had been a different man, he might have been smiling.

He wasn't exuberant, not the kind of happiness that made him want to shout and shake someone. It was far more powerful and deep, radiating in a part of him superficial happiness never reached. Everything around him seemed brighter: the faces of people as they walked by, the colors in the shop windows, the blinking and flashing signs. He felt like maybe he had only been partially in this world, and now the barrier had dropped. Everything had been a washed out picture before and someone had redrawn the lines of the world and made them sharper.

It wasn't a dream. Or a nightmare. It was a chance. It was far from perfect—Cloud had no desire to be a hero, because being a hero meant greater sacrifice than he might be able to stand. And Aeris hadn't said it would be _better_, but different. It was still a chance though, a _chance_, and he hadn't had one of those in a long time.

"There you are Cloud. Thought I lost you. I doubled back but couldn't find you. People said you left the way we came. Where'd you go?

Reno's familiar voice didn't even startle him, nor did the arm slung across his shoulders. He just turned to the redhead and waved his free arm casually behind him. "I didn't go too far. Just looking around. Where'd you go?"

Reno looked at him funny for a second, his bright green eyes—a totally different green than Aeris'—scrunched up as he gave Cloud a once over. "Just to the next sector over. I lost those guys pretty easily. You get laid or somethin'?" Cloud's posture was slacker than the redhead had ever seen. All the tenseness in his limbs had evaporated and there was even a flower in his front pocket.

"No," Cloud said quickly. The image of a man's warm skin against his own didn't disappear fast enough to escape the heating of his cheeks. "Just poked around. How did you run along the roofs like that?"

Reno looked like he didn't want to drop the subject, but after a moment he gave in and grinned. Cloud didn't look high, so it couldn't be too bad. Reno could take it in stride. "Called Parkour. It's nifty in the slums." He smirked at Cloud, a challenge evident in his voice. He knew what Cloud was going to ask.

"Will you teach it to me?"

Reno leaned back on his heels, tilting his head up to the sky as though thinking. His cockiness came back in full force. "Well… I could teach you, but what would you do for me?"

Cloud wasn't surprised at the comment. Reno only worked for himself. He could offer to show him some fighting skills. Or maybe promise to cover his back on some law-breaking venture Reno would undoubtedly go on. But what would Reno _really _want? Reno was still grinning at him as Cloud mulled over his options. Money?

"Look Cloud, don't think on it too much. I've only got some questions."

Cloud's whole body language changed at that simple comment. Reno was surprised by the way all the relaxed muscles had stiffened, how his light-hearted appearance seemed to morph into something closer to cornered prey.

_Interesting…_

"…Questions?" Cloud's voice deepened as he repeated the word.

"Yeah. Like what the hell Shinra's doing all over Junon. Or what the General's last name is. You help me out finding that out, and I'll teach you parkour." The redhead was aiming for casual confidence but he wasn't sure if he quite pulled it off. Cloud was still… _off. _Reno had more questions than those pertaining to Shinra, but if Cloud's reaction was anything to go by, those had to be saved for later.

Cloud did relax though, but the ease he carried himself at before was lost. The veins on the back of his hands were receding back into his skin from where they'd been standing out before.

Reno heard him exhale softly. "I'm pretty sure the General doesn't have a last name. And I'll only help you on three."

Bargaining. Fine, he saw how it was.

"Five. All Shinra related."

"Three and only if they're not related to the science section. That's too dangerous." Cloud's voice momentarily changed again, his tone far harder as he spoke the last words.

_Bingo. _Reno was willing to settle for three questions for that tidbit. Cloud didn't seem to think anything of his stipulation, but the redhead was suspicious that Cloud's mind jumped to the science department before anything else. Cloud definitely had a secret, and Reno was going to find out what it was.

"Deal."


	12. Want to See it Painted Black

Disclaimer: Anything recognizable with any affiliated Final Fantasy VII products belongs to SquareEnix and not myself. Dan and the plot are mind alone, but if SquareEnix wants it, they're welcome to it.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twelve: Want to See it Painted Black**

The parade had finished two days ago, but the streamers had yet to be cleared off the streets, along with empty bottles, torn banners, and any other paraphernalia left behind. It was dark and the moon was still out as Cloud looked both ways down the paved concrete, pausing to watch the way a shred of a banner that proclaimed the General's wonder tumbled away.

There was a sense he was trespassing, but it was only because he wasn't one of the citizens of the plate—not really.

The blond stepped off the curb and crossed the street, cutting through an alleyway and into a small grove of townhouses. They looked fancy at first glance: delicately ornamented railings, finely painted shutters, gilded windowsills. Cloud had seen these before while at Shinra, but now he could see what others didn't know to look for. The way they had no flowers, the tightly locked windows, the bolted-shut doors, the pervasive anxiety and fear that settled like a rash on the minds of all the upper-crust people. They might have been better off than those underneath them, but there was no solace in their anger and despair. They couldn't speak against their government, didn't come out at night for the unwritten curfew, and lived with a quiet paranoia that they even had trouble recognizing.

Cloud strode pass quickly without moving his eyes from the ground. He didn't want to look up and see the "No Trespassing" signs. Skimming briefly over the locked gates and to eye the sleeping dogs in the yards was enough. He didn't want to see the more subtle side of Shinra's power. It both saddened and angered him, but today he didn't want any more turmoil.

* * *

When the sun crested two days after Wutai War Memorial Day, there was only the faintest sign of dawn in the cadet barracks. Because the windows were so high up, only a pale glow out in the distance was visible in the dirty windows. Still, the cadets were so accustomed to waking up at daybreak that even that bit of sunlight irritated a stirring Reno. He grudgingly sat up on the bunk, habitually ducking his head to avoid the one on top, and rubbed his eyes, his mouth widening in a huge yawn as one bleary eye opened to look around. The edges of objects seemed off somehow, the corners of his vision blurry at first. It cleared up after a few moments though, and he opened the other, enjoying the lazy mornings he rarely had anymore.

As his eyes wandered the room though the good feeling he'd woken with disappeared. He didn't care that Kevin was still asleep and had morning wood, or that Dan was probably rubbing out a quickie under his sheet as he 'changed'. Reno's focus lay on Cloud's glaringly empty bed. The blond had even taken the time to draw his sheets up and fold them neatly with hospital corners. Reno wanted to sneer at the sheer dorkiness of Cloud, but settled for just sending a scowl at the oblivious Dan still shifting around under his covers.

The redhead dropped his look after a moment and ran his hands down his face in a sleepy gesture, failing to wake himself any more than he already was. He stood up slowly, avoiding the disorienting rush of blood to his head, and cracked each bone as he stretched, all the way down to flexing his toes for good fun. Feeling considerably looser than before, he treaded over to Cloud's bed and adjusted one corner of the sheet that was just slightly off, then headed to the bathroom before anyone realized he had risen.

* * *

When Shinra built the plate they turned the edges into essentially a giant balcony for the wealthy. These fine terraces were littered with gardens, benches, and scenic walks that offered spectacular views of the ocean or the mountain range behind Midgar. There were no clouds today though, from what Cloud could see, and his view was enormous. The sky was already getting that musty, sandy look that Cloud had learned was really the pollution manifesting rather than desert weather like some people thought. Even by his time the pollution was still lingering, though it got thinner every year.

Cloud was seated on the very edge of the plate; one of the areas Shinra hadn't turn into a stone garden or outdoor restaurant. There was only the solid concrete of the plate and a rickety rail preventing him from plummeting to his death. The plan for the edges of the plate worked splendidly, for the places that had nice landscapes to look out at least. For those that didn't—views that included empty swathes of desert and the SOLDIER training facilities out there—the backs of stores and restaurants blocked the view.

This spot that Cloud had discovered was at a corner, which Cloud had trouble understanding since Midgar was supposed to be circular in design, but no one ever said Shinra's architects were great. His legs dangled over the side, and the fear of falling seemed simple and laughable after all he had seen. He didn't always have this daredevil attitude, but last night's rest had been unpleasantly short. For some reason this day was like a death spell's counter over his head, reminding him of all the time he'd lost and all the wasted days he had in the future.

He'd been driven out of bed pretty quickly by his own thoughts, so he did his warm-ups a couple hours earlier than normal and gotten out of there fast. He slipped out of the cadet barracks and out of the compound, then cut through the backfields. There were no fences, just bushes that far out. No one with half a brain would really challenge a building full of chemically enhanced soldiers, so when the barracks were added later their backs were left open. The blond maneuvered through the shadows along the sides, relying on the height of bushes to cover him until he'd gotten far enough to slip out. He was out in a moment and making his way along the abandoned streets, knowing only a couple of patrols would be making round, but he would hear them long before they saw him. It was the dead hour of the night: too early to be awake, too late to be out.

* * *

"Yo. Thought I might find you here."

Cloud had turned up for lunch, probably because the food on Sundays was the best, but by the time Reno had gotten into the room the blond was already done eating and practically out the door. His behavior had seemed strange, but Reno had asked the right questions and done a little poking around and found him. He meandered into the area terribly proud at finding Cloud's niche.

The blond had heard footsteps and turned around as Reno walked in, looking like he had just walked into a bar and not a small training area. He had his hands stuffed into his back pockets as he slouched over slightly. His eyes were sharp despite his lax posture and were trailing up the walls, along the floor, and passing over Cloud like an unseen inspection. Cloud nodded at him after a calculated moment of just staring. Reno didn't look the least bit phased at Cloud's pointed look.

"What's got you all pissed off for?" Reno settled himself on the floor by one of the walls and made himself comfortable, clearly ignoring Cloud's generally angry disposition.

The blond turned away without answering, hardly in the mood to deal with Reno's attitude. People later on had known how to deal with these rocky days, and in cases like Vincent, understood it and experienced them himself. Hojo left no part of the soul unscarred, and some days those old wounds almost bled anew. Cloud had never seen a doctor about this—as though anyone could drag him near another lab coat if he didn't want to be there—but he guessed it was some form of PTSD. The blond was generally even-keeled, but sometimes the wrong mood, the right words—and in this case a day to set it all off—and he felt like clawing his way out of his own skin might help.

Tifa would skirt around him when it came on, just packing some food quietly and adding it to his bag on Fenrir. He might be gone for days at a time to burn off the sour taste in his mouth and erase the jolts of phantom pain he still felt, echoes from the lab. Here that wasn't an option. He couldn't just get up and fly away, and that steamed under his skin, though it was no one's fault really. He was still trapped in the building, in Midgar, in his mind.

That's why he hadn't left this spot all day since he got back. He'd gone straight here at seven a.m. when the gym doors opened, surprising the army guy on duty when he showed up as he unlocked the doors. Cloud had quickly grabbed one of the small gyms, built for platoon work and only designed for about eight men and their weapons. One guy had looked in, but seeing how angry Cloud was he'd backed out without comment. Cloud had the room to himself all day.

Reno could feel the blond's black mood rolling off him in waves, and it was part of the reason was Reno was sitting with his knees up rather than totally sprawled there. If Cloud decided to whip that sword he was holding in his direction, he wanted a running start.

The blond didn't seem particularly murderous at the moment, but he did seem very jumpy. Reno had a nasty feeling in his gut one wrong word would make him snap. Cloud's back to him, the blond lifted up the practice sword to swing again, but had hardly started the motion when another person called his name from the doorway, this time more exuberantly and far louder than before. "Hey Cloud!" Dan waved his arms frantically in the air as though Cloud could possibly miss him.

Reno visibly grimaced as Dan practically bounced over to Cloud. Reno thought the entire thing was nauseatingly gay. "I couldn't find you! Luckily, I saw Reno come here, so I figured he might know where you were if no one else did." Dan smiled at Cloud, but the blond just grunted in return.

Cloud lowered his sword from the ready position. He couldn't practice now that they both knew where he was. Annoyance flared through him, so strong his grip tightened on the sword and he had the sudden, immature urge to throw it. It was almost as bad as having to deal with his so-called fans from after Meteor, or the monsters running away near the end of a battle. They couldn't take a hint, could they?

"…So I thought maybe you and I could work on our materia together." Cloud had missed most of Dan's word over the sound of his own blood boiling in his ears, but it came back into his awareness at the innocent request. He still seemed unaware how angry Cloud was, and Reno either played the oblivious card or just wanted to rile him up some more. Either way, all their needy attachment did was feed the seething, frustrated anger.

"Look Cloud," Reno suddenly put in, "I was just wondering if you'd help me out with somethin'. See, remember that thing about Junon? Yeah, well, I've got tomorrow night cleared." The redhead leaned his head back against the wall, tilting it up at Cloud in a distinctly haughty way. Just that simple action, something far too reminiscent of the old Reno, irritated Cloud beyond belief, grating against his very nerve ends.

He could do this; he could be civil. His words still came out through ground teeth, but at least they weren't biting at the ends. "Monday's fine, but right now I need to practice." Cloud steadfastly didn't look at either of them; rather he spoke towards the wall in their general direction. Grey. Flat, blank, inoffensive. He could do this.

Dan hardly let Cloud finish his words before he jumped in. He sounded something like an offended child, but it disappeared as he got wrapped up in new ideas. "What about our materia practice? I can do it tonight, but what about Tuesday? We could get dinner together then head over to pick up the biggest room!"

Reno interrupted whatever else Dan was going to say, his pretentiousness clashing with Dan's enthusiasm in an argument that Cloud furiously worked to tune out, to let it wash over him because he was going to _punch_ someone if they didn't give him some space. Cloud took some deep breaths but it didn't help the ire roiling in his veins, and he clenched his hands so tightly the nails would break skin any time soon.

_Goddamnit, can't they shut up!_

"Spike, there you are! Look, if we can just get these papers done real fast I've got a treat for you." Cloud didn't even look over. He could feel the air popping in his ears and he was sure his face was starting to turn red. More people that wanted something from him! Haven't they taken enough already?

He didn't shout. He didn't chuck his sword at the yelling voices, or swing out at anyone. He didn't do anything at all. He just dropped his practice sword and walked out of there.

* * *

"What happened?"

Cloud and Zack were seated on Zack's sofa in the living room of his quarters. The SOLDIER's furnishings were overflowing with his personality. There was a lava lamp on the low table casting liquid shadows on the thick carpet, and the glass coffee table had random magazines strewn about it, some for cars, others for fancy electronics, and strangely enough a collection of old "Got Milk?" ads. The cream-colored kitchen area could just be seen over the countertop, and the sink had dirty pots and pans piled up in it, many in bright colors that didn't match. Zack's coffee mug was sitting on the counter. It had a ferocious roaring gorilla on it and some joke about cavities on the back. The pillows on the couch were of every material, cut, and color imaginable, and somehow the hodge-podge managed to match the brown suede of the sofa. The windows were thrown open, the doors down the hall left ajar. It was a cheerful and open room, and it really helped Cloud's state of mind to sit in it and soak in the Zack-ness of the setting. This was a new thing in an old life.

It had been several hours after the training room incident, and Cloud had simmered down almost completely. After storming off, he had left the barracks for places unknown. The redhead knew better than to fan the flames if he didn't want to get caught up in the firestorm, and made a note that the blond was to be avoided when angry.

Zack had braved Cloud's terrible mood though, aware that he was tangling with something he didn't fully understand or know. Cloud had been unresponsive at first, not wanting to hurt Zack's feelings but also wanting simply to be alone and work out the aggression. But Zack hadn't gotten upset with him at all, obviously used to dealing with cold impassivity from Sephiroth and brush-offs.

After much heated glaring from Cloud and a lot of gentle coaxing on Zack's part, the blond grudgingly admitted the truth. "I just… I just don't want to deal with all the shit for a day. It's not… It's not a good day, and I…"

The fire was gone now, but Zack felt pretty sure the current morose mood could flip back to black any time. And the cursing…it was so uncharacteristic of the blond that Zack's worry grew tenfold—and where had he learned all that colorful language? There was something seriously wrong, and Zack wanted to know what had set it off so he could fix it.

But first came Cloud and his hair-trigger emotions today, so Zack had whipped out some coupons for a good Wutain place, half-dragged Cloud up to his quarters, and cashed in on his promise.

"Cloud?"

The blond hadn't answered his question, and though Zack knew it was a touchy subject, he was still curious. Cloud had been dangerously mad, a toxic anger Zack had never seen from the normally milder boy. Cloud normally came off as fairly innocent hiding behind a tough-guy face belied by his youth. That kind of ire though… it spoke of a lot of hidden troubles.

The SOLDIER prodded Cloud a bit with his chopsticks. Some of the sauce and what looked like a bit of the head of a broccoli spear stuck to his arm before rolling off. Zack didn't even pretend to look apologetic, if he even noticed.

"It's just a bad day."

…All right. Zack could pretend he believed that. For now.

"Well, have you been into Midgar yet?" Zack stuffed some more chicken and broccoli into his mouth as Cloud watched. The SOLDIER was quite adept with chopsticks, probably having eaten out many times before, and the blond silently envied him for it. Yuffie had always laughed at Cloud's abysmal ability with the confounded utensils.

"Yeah." Cloud stared morosely into his beef and fried rice, stirring up the contents with the wooden sticks. There were bits of green clinging to the remaining slices of beef, and the fried rice had been all mixed up inside with all the vegetables and bits of egg. There was so much of the rice left, since Cloud had eaten a lot of the beef that it had begun to look like the innards of a giant slug all poured into the carton. With that lovely thought Cloud put down his half-finished meal and stuck the chopsticks upright in the little bowl of white rice next to it.

"You know," Zack said pointing to Cloud's upright chopsticks, "That's supposed to be an offering to the dead." Zack stuffed some more in his mouth as Cloud stared blankly at his inadvertent memorial. "Did someone die today?"

"No." _You died later._

"Did someone hurt you?"

Cloud swallowed hard and pretended he hadn't heard that last question, picking up his food so he had something to do with his hands. He didn't feel like he needed to hack and slash a monster into tiny pieces, but he still felt frustrated and annoyed at the world in general.

"…Midgar is a dump under the plate. Are they doing anything about it?" Vincent somewhere, most assuredly in his coffin_,_ was wincing at Cloud's complete lack of subtlety. Cloud just needed to get off the subject and needed to shut the door before he let the thoughts consume him again.

Zack eyeballed him for a good long moment before giving in with a sigh. Cloud just clammed up and there was no use ruffling his feathers more or letting him just tighten the lock on his mouth. Zack was worried if he pushed too hard he'd drive Cloud out the door the way Reno had. He'd only known the kid two short weeks, and he didn't want to fracture their friendship.

"Naw, they aren't doing anything to clean it up. The tourists don't see it, so what do they care? But yeah, I used to go there more often. I had a girlfriend there you know." Zack picked up another chunk of broccoli dripping with sauce and effortlessly popped it into his mouth. He didn't seem to notice Cloud's growing awkwardness. "She was beautiful, a complete sweetheart too. You would like her Cloud. Very gentle, loving, friendly. She worked with flowers all the time; even had a church with some in it and her backyard was full of them. I'm pretty sure she sells them down there still."

Cloud shifted on the couch. Zack and Aeris had been an item, he knew, but that had been a long time ago for him. It reminded Cloud of the humiliating breakdown of his memory that made him think he was Zack, and therefore essentially Aeris' boyfriend, though he didn't put it together then. And now to think of the two together felt strange. Aeris was well…Aeris. She was sort of the sister to the world.

Zack spied the nervous movement but didn't say anything. "We dated for a while, but things didn't work out. She wasn't in favor with Shinra, and I just made it that much more dangerous. Plus, being in SOLDIER is full time, you know?"

Cloud nodded absently, hoping the conversation might steer away naturally. Zack was amused by Cloud's unease, showing his age more than usual. If Zack had to guess too, he'd say the blond hadn't been with anyone before and probably had something for the General. Most boys did at some point or another, hero worship and puberty mixing together. Even Zack had fallen to it when he was young, though thankfully that phase hadn't been long.

Zack threw him a lazy smile. "Well, what about you? Any girlfriends back in Nibelheim? Anything now?"

Cloud shook his head quickly. Tifa had been a crush that faded fast, and beyond that he only had eyes for one person. That hadn't turned out so well though.

"Nothing? Well Cloud, we'll have to find someone for you then, huh?" Zack's light-hearted joke and the easy nudge to Cloud's ribs were only distantly received. Cloud was thinking about the slim-to-none chances he had with his number one—history hadn't exactly been kind.

"Hello? Cloud? You're thinking about someone! Fork it over Cloud, I'll find out somehow anyway. Girl? Guy?" Zack's teasing banter embarrassed him though, and he couldn't find the words to say no. He wanted to say Tifa almost, if only to get Zack off his back, but he'd probably end up digging himself into a lie.

"Let me guess? Childhood sweetheart? Someone you're going back to once you're a big SOLDIER?"

Wow, Zack hit the nail on the head—if this had been a younger Cloud. Now the Tifa Cloud knew didn't exist yet, and he only had one reason for going back to Nibelheim. "No. I'm not thinking of anyone."

Zack just laughed. He didn't buy it and Cloud knew he wouldn't. Zack had an uncanny ability like that sometimes, probably from working with the General who could deliver any line flat. Cloud flushed a little more at the thought of the General, and Zack just grinned at him. It must have hurt his face from how wide it was, but the First Class SOLDIER didn't seem to care. "Gay then?" Cloud resolutely shook his head, but Zack knew better. "Hmm… it could be another cadet. Or a SOLDIER. Come on Cloud, spill it."

Cloud summoned up the same courage that had pitted him against Sephiroth and saved him against the Weapons, Jenova, and Hojo, for this. He looked Zack directly in the eye as he fed him the biggest lie he had probably ever knowingly told. "There's no one."

It was lying outright to Zack like that, which was discomforting, but Cloud didn't need the embarrassment or the scrutiny. This was the most harmless lie he could tell Zack—all the other ones would put the First in serious danger.

"Ah well, I'm sure we'll find someone for you soon. I'll keep my eyes peeled. I met Aeris when I was on this mission, and I had to land on this train, but it was going to the slums and…" Zack's voice trailed away as he chatted about his first dates with Aeris, describing her since he had no idea Cloud knew her at all, let alone as well as he did. It made Cloud a little nostalgic, but more than a little sad to think back on his own screwed up relationships.

Cloud had never had a girlfriend, despite his mother's hopes. On AVALANCHE it had been the absolute last thing on his mind, especially since it was _Sephiroth _they were chasing. Before AVALANCHE he'd been too shy to experiment.

Then… the mansion. It was probably the worst place for a first experience. Hojo kept his lab rats separated for the most part, and though Zack and Cloud were next to each other in mako-bath tubes, they were eons apart. Every month or two these temporary test tubes would build up with grime and dirt from bodily fluids. So while they were cleaned and no tests were being run, Zack and Cloud got a few hours to see each other without the glass between them. Though far too weak to do much with all the drugs in their system and the mako exposure, any human touch was better than the unrelenting cold. So Cloud and Zack had gotten as close as possible—and closer still.

It didn't matter that the floor was solid metal. Or that they were shivering, dosed with sickening amounts of drugs, covered in puncture marks, half blind and almost brain dead. None of that matter. Lips on skin, hands on neglected places, the building warmth, the flush, the climax, the aftermath. Those moments, when they could barely string words together, when touch was the only communication they still had, those moments were what Cloud had lived for in that place. He couldn't dream of escape, but he could dream of those, and for those moments when he saw stars at Zack's hand, mako tubes, laboratories, and glinting glasses were forgotten.

"Hey Cloud, you've never slept with anyone, right?"

Cloud's mind jerked back into Zack's apartment, not fully aware he'd been drifting off like that, thinking about him and Zack… Technically, in this body, he was still a virgin, though in his experience he had slept with others before—including, ironically, the man next to him. His hesitation must have given an answer to Zack anyway.

"Thought so. Aeris and I never got that far, but she was certainly pretty enough. But she was the kind of girl you marry and do right by, you know? I'll definitely take you down to meet her sometime. She's worth it because she's the most beautiful thing there. But she's modest, always says the flowers outshine her…" Zack's enamored rambling sounded like he still liked her, though Cloud knew somehow it wasn't like that. The SOLDIER still thought of her, still found her beautiful, but he would never try the relationship again. Cloud wondered if the First had other ways to scratch the itch, since he didn't know of any other serious relationships Zack had before.

During AVALANCHE's time, Cloud had been far too busy to consider sex at all, and the outlet for most of his aggression was all the fighting they did. When things slowed down afterwards, the increased libido of mako seemed to rear its head. Cloud had found an unlikely partner, one who he could let go with unabashedly, and understood the mako-driven need as well as anyone else could. They both agreed there was no emotional basis for it, only the trust that came with endless travel and fighting together, and shared horrors.

The only man alive that didn't wince at some of Cloud's scars was Vincent. Likewise, Cloud didn't linger over the man's patchwork of scar tissue that enveloped his body. They had an equal understanding, and sometimes, in Cloud's home or wherever Vincent happened to be, they would indulge themselves. It was even less frequent than Cloud's bouts with Zack, but gratifying still.

"Cloud! Cloud! Man, you are up in the clouds today." Zack shrugged with an easy smile on his face. Cloud just nodded slightly. Zack gestured to the food still sitting between them. Zack was fairly neat, but much to Cloud's embarrassment, there were bits of rice scattered about and droplets of sauce dotting his side of the table. "You done? Just toss everything out. Every time Seph comes over he complains about old Wutain hanging out in the fridge. Pet peeve or something."

Cloud tried not to look too interested in Sephiroth's visits to Zack's apartment, but couldn't stop himself from wondering if he had sat… Cloud almost jumped out of the seat before he did something stupid before scooping up a mass of white and cartons and their messy contents and dumping it into the trash. It looked late, as he glanced outside, maybe past curfew.

Zack came up behind him with the other pile of food and left over drinks, draining his root beer in one go. Cloud just dropped his glass lemonade bottle into Zack's empty recycling bin.

"Let me walk you back to the barrack so you don't get in trouble."

"It's alright. I can get back okay. They don't check our hallway until the second hour." As nice as Zack was being, and as much as Cloud wanted to spend time with him, he needed a few moments to digest the entire day. What had started so badly had ended with Cloud in a strange mood, fitfully between bittersweet and melancholy for the life Zack should have had.

Zack raised an eyebrow at Cloud's statement. "If you're sure. Just mention me if you get caught so I can pull rank and get you out of whatever shit they dump you with." Zack walked him to the door and patted his shoulder. "Night Spike. See you tomorrow."

Cloud went out into the hallway and turned back to Zack to catch the last of the man's smile.


	13. Summoners Be Warned

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Thirteen: Summoners Be Warned**

It was the second week now that he had woken in these barracks, and the disorienting feeling of shock when realizing he wasn't in his cabin had finally begun to really disappear. Cloud got up and started with his morning exercises on automatic. His body had taken to the routine fairly quickly, which was something Cloud took advantage of now. He had to remind himself to focus on the positives and not think about his old strength or weapons as he went through the repetitive motions. It was a test of will though, because for every daydream about hacking Hojo into a million pieces, Cloud was bombarded by comparisons if himself to "before".

The blond relaxed back onto the floor and stretched his tense muscles, letting go of that train of thought. Even after hanging out with Zack yesterday, he was still more tightly wound than usual, and he could feel every string in his body pull tauter than before. Even just that small thought that he was a bundle of potential power, albeit not as powerful as he was before, thrilled him a little. Any progress was progress, as Shinra said.

Cloud turned his head to the side and lowered his legs to lie completely on the floor, just breathing as he gave his tired muscles a breather. He would shower later. The trafficked dirt and dust on the floor was hardly any worse than him lying on the rough desert sand.

He stared blankly at someone's overturned shoes that had slid partway under the bed and were just peeking out. Cloud's eyes mindlessly traced the grooves of the boot, glimpsing over the green gum stuck on the bottom and lingering a little on the peeling sole at the toe. The boy on the bed above it snorted and rolled over, and Cloud smoothly stood back up into a standing position, shaking his head once to clear some of the fog that had fallen over it.

* * *

Across the compound and considerably higher up, Sephiroth steadily stared out at the ocean through the floor-to-ceiling windows that graced his dining room, his face blank but eyes thoughtful. The windows were set high above the fields below him, and higher still because his apartment was on the plate. From this angle, the ocean's abundance was clear, the desert between him and it vast and hazy.

Sephiroth's eyes were trained on the foaming waves he could just make out in the distance, with all their riotous and powerful majesty on display. His mind was blissfully blank, free from numbers and names or benign words and maps floating through. It was a state of mind he only seemed able to find in the early mornings, when even the sun was not awake.

The sun had dawned now though and had begun its steady climb upwards, cresting over the ocean and shattering the blue with a dazzling light display of pearly oranges shading into deep pinks and reds. The colors washed over Sephiroth's pale frame, falling dead upon his strict black work pants and white button-up top, but his loosened hair glistening iridescently.

Sephiroth turned away from the beauty of the sunrise and padded around the counter bordering the dining room and round to the other side of the kitchen. The fine wooden cabinets were raised above the black granite counter top. The surface of the counter was wiped clean, the subtle designs within the stone visible to Sephiroth's sharp eyes. The crockery was all tucked away neatly in the cupboards, the various appliances positioned throughout the large area. Sephiroth crossed to the dishwasher, ignoring his chilled feet on the tiled floor. The large refrigerator was the only thing making noise in the kitchen, the hulking stainless steel giant humming quietly into the silence. The sink adjacent to it had a single plant resting on the edge, a yet un-bloomed thistle plant Zack had left with him.

His breakfast was simple and quick, a part of his morning that invariably never changed. He woke early, always before dawn, and set himself a cup of steaming coffee to drink. One cup was all he needed, his system already starting up more quickly than any human's. It was why he was up before dawn too, since four hours of sleep was enough to keep him going. With disdain he thought to the survival week he went through when he joined SOLDIER—it had been a breeze.

Some nights were like this, full of circling thoughts pecking at him like vultures on a corpse. When he woke, he lounged on the couch, cup in hand, watching the play of light on the wall and just clearing his mind of the annoying repetition. Other times, days where sleep came more fitfully or not at all, disturbed by horrid memories, he stood on the cool marble of his bathroom floor and scrutinized himself in the mirror, staring at his distinctive eyes the most, and tracing the barest hint of scars. Most days though, inevitably the ones full of work and training, he found himself standing in the unused dining room staring at the ocean, a place that held it's secrets close.

Sephiroth set a full kettle of water on the stove and turned up the heat. He then turned to the sink and washed out his simple white coffee mug, his eyes never straying from the task. He smoothly pulled the mug out from under the water, placing it back into the cabinet in front of the various bright, spotted, worded and colored ones Zack had given him over the years. He had never used them, but he hadn't thrown them out either.

He felt the waves of heat from the stove across the island, could hear the starting bubbles as the water began to boil. Sephiroth's back shivered at the quiet caress of the steam, and he crossed the kitchen, turning off the heat and pulling down another plain cup as he moved. Gracefully he lifted the steel kettle catching it before the whistle, a trick he had picked up to avoid the ear-splitting noise. Not a drop fell on to the counter as he poured a cup and slipped the tea bag into the simmering liquid. Done, he left the kitchen with his tea and returned to the bedroom to change.

Sephiroth quickly finished dressing and sipped the last of his tea. He rubbed his hands down his slacks one last time and washed the cup out in the kitchen before heading into the living area to get Masamune. He strapped the massive sword on to his back, pulled on his leather gloves, and stepped out of his apartment a moment later. He locked the door behind him as he left, pocketing the keys in the upper left pocket of his jacket. He only wore the leather assemble for special practices and addresses to the entire army, not for paperwork. He left silently through the modern building and across the courtyard, past the three-dimensional Shinra logo complete with fountain, and into Shinra Headquarters. The guard at the front desk sleepily saluted him as he passed. The General only nodded.

There was no time that Shinra HQ was not busy, but the early morning was the quietest. Nightshift workers scurried about, their shoes scuffing on the floor and the rolling squeaks of janitors' carts echoed in the corridors. The copy room was at its emptiest; the employees working quietly in their identical offices were held together only by their fourth cup of coffee and a persistent case of insomnia.

The General's floor was deserted. His three Lieutenant Generals were never here this early. There was an en-mass belief that First Class SOLDIERs were able to slack off, and Zack perpetuated that. It probably encouraged the greener SOLDIERs and disappointed the veterans. Zack was his SOLDIER Lieutenant General, and he only rose at dawn for a mission or battle—anything less, in his words, wasn't worth his time. The other two were regulation army men and more managers than soldiers. They too took advantage of extra sleep.

Sephiroth stepped into his office, setting Masamune on its horizontal stand against the right wall. He never really liked the way it looked in his office, making it appear more of a ceremonial sword than the partner that it was. The stand in his apartment was hand-carved in Wutai and probably worth more than some men's lives. Few things had his wealth showered on them by Sephiroth, and Masamune was it.

After positioning Masamune safely, his jacket was slipped off and draped on the back of his chair. There was a stack of paper work left over from yesterday still waiting patiently on his desk for his signature, and so he drew out the moment of contemplation, adjusting the cuffs of his button-up white shirt and straightening out his slacks. Sometimes he wondered what people would think if they knew their strict General could be such a procrastinator at times.

His eyes hardly passed over the books in the shelves and his ears barely picked up the silent thrum of the air conditioner above the far window. This room was as familiar to him as his own bedroom, and a sanctuary of its own kind. Rufus had only dropped by here once, and had immediately understood that under no uncertain terms that this was the General's territory. Although Sephiroth's manners might have been coldly cordial, it was made very clear early on in the exchange that this was not the safest spot to launch attacks, nor take direct hits. The President's son had never come back.

Sephiroth's eyes fell on the paperwork and a great feeling of annoyance washed over him. He didn't feel like looking through it, his eyes already complaining before he had even offered more than a glance. Instead, he settled into his chair and swiveled to look at the blank computer screen, contemplating what to do. The paperwork would have to be done eventually, but that didn't mean he couldn't do something quick before hand.

He turned on the computer, examining the Shinra logo that greeted him on the opening page. The one outside in the fountain was a cube, but here on screen it was the traditional flat, four-sided diamond painted a vibrant red with two characters spelling Shinra in the center. It was a symbol of desired association and awe, at least to those not a part of Shinra, although many of the younger recruits wore it proudly on their uniforms. The novelty wore off after the first kill done in its name though.

The image disappeared and the computer greeted him with his desktop, a colorless abstract swath behind his icons. His fingers flew over the keyboard easily in well-practiced, precise strokes as he scanned through recently touched documents of his subordinates. Most were mission reports, some files on various places. Zack had done hardly anything in weeks, skimping out by doing anything but the minimum of his paperwork and escaping to train or hang out with Cloud Strife.

Speaking of Strife…

Sephiroth pulled up the cadet charts, running through recent grade history and other notes made by the instructors. Hale had made a comment about Cloud in his materia class, expounding on the amazing blast of energy the blond had created. Enough force to melt the door apparently. Sephiroth assumed the man was exaggerating, excited at the idea of any capable materia user in the cadet group. That was what he got for almost deserting the army back in Wutai.

Still, any magic on the part of a cadet was more than what most achieved, and Cloud being able to damage a door was quite impressive, if suspicious. It was a serious indication of skill at the least, but Sephiroth was leaning towards more of a natural affinity for magic. It was unusual nonetheless, no matter the explanation, and he made a note to ask if Zack had been working with him on it. Even though that might not explain this sudden burst of energy, seeing as Zack wasn't a particularly strong magic user.

Deciding it was a matter for another time, Sephiroth clicked on Cloud's name, opening up his profile. There was the same picture; his stubborn look of teenage defiance and hair jutting up wildly. Sephiroth looked at it amused for a moment before scanning down the rest of it. He was of a slightly smaller stature as he had noticed before, and at first glance not anyone of any real interest. Fatherless, it seemed, and young. In fact he was only… seventeen.

As of yesterday no less.

It was odd of Zack not to have mentioned it. Or at least tried to prepare some massively embarrassing birthday party and somehow managing to wrangle him into signing a birthday card. Had Zack not known? Surely Cloud would have mentioned it.

…Or, maybe he might not. The blond was terribly quiet and closed-mouthed about himself from Zack's accounts.

Zack was frustrated by Cloud, he knew, though the First hid it behind good cheer. The SOLDIER's stubbornness and experience with other tight-lipped people was probably the only reason he even bothered. That, and Zack had shared with him that he felt a kinship with Cloud.

A third possibility came to him; that Zack could have simply not told him about the birthday. The man wasn't obligated to say everything on his mind, and he surely didn't, so maybe this thought hadn't come out of his mouth as well. But still, if he did know, why omit?

Sephiroth lingered over the birth date a little longer, the date inconspicuous enough. August nineteenth… Maybe Cloud had just felt rude bringing it up.

He dismissed the thought, resolving to mention it to Zack and see if the other man knew anything.

The rest of the profile was more basic information. Cloud's test scores had ranged fairly low earlier in the year, along with his physical marks, but those were lifting now. Zack's training must be doing him some good, even though the black-haired man hadn't mentioned any book study. Perhaps that or Cloud had just gotten even more motivated from his encounter with Zack.

Sephiroth closed the profile after a moment, setting aside his wandering thoughts. He had plenty of time to think about the enigma of Cloud Strife later. Paperwork was calling now.

* * *

The barracks were emptying as the cadets drowsily made their way to breakfast. The alarm had gone off, and Cloud had waited seated on his bunk for it like he did every morning. Reno and Dan were slow to rise, though once Dan was up he was awake and bouncing all day. Today he was unmatched in enthusiasm since it was Monday, and Monday was materia day.

"…and then I saw this play once where the main character jumps right out of bed and–"

"Argh, shut up already!" The shirt he was pulling over his head muffled Reno's yell, but it was loud enough to jar Dan to silence. Dan had been going non-stop for the last couple of minutes, which was probably why the room had been vacated so quickly, and Cloud was thankful for the break. A couple of boys still lingered, but the blond hardly gave them a glance.

"Can't be quiet, can he?" Reno was hopping on one foot now, yanking on his military boot and trying to tie it at the same time. Dan had moved off to the other side of the room, probably to engage the last two boys in conversation. Cloud couldn't hear what they were saying over Reno's shouts and cursing as he fell backwards, losing his balance and smacking his head against the wooden frame of the bed.

"Damnit! The hell are you looking so happy for?" Reno's fierce accusation was met by a momentary downturn of Dan's lips before the boy put a smile back on his face. He knew Reno was just taking out his anger on him.

Dan pranced to the door and turned back to Cloud. "Let's go to breakfast, Cloud. He can catch up." With that parting comment he hopped out the door and down the hallway, half-jogging half-walking. Cloud could hear the uneven sound of his boots hitting the floor. After a moment, the blond followed. Reno snapped his belt on and strode after him.

In breakfast things were relatively silent. Reno chewed loudly and Dan only made comments about the food, all positive, to which neither replied. Their table was empty save for them as usual, and no one was bothered by it.

Cloud was the first to finish since he had eaten the least. One slice of a toast and a banana was all he really needed to get going. His system had grown used to living off a limited food supply, and even if this body wasn't the same, his mind told his stomach when it was full.

"Wait up Cloud. We can head to class together." Dan's blatant following won him a nasty look from Reno. The blond could only imagine what the redhead thought of Dan's dependency.

"I'm not going to class." Dan's face fell as he absorbed the words, looking a little puzzled at the same time. This was probably something he hadn't quite expected from Cloud. Reno, on the other hand, almost looked triumphant.

"I'll skip with you, since last night you up and vanished and–"

"No." It was final. Cloud was finding that teenage friendships had serious disadvantages at times.

Reno's mouth closed in surprise. "Then when am I gonna see you?"

"Later. Tonight maybe."

Dan had become an audience to this second conversation that to him had somehow sprung from his own. His head moved to each speaker, watching them attentively. Nonetheless their eyes were conveying a lot of things: Cloud's mostly annoyance and irritation, Reno's reflecting anger and suspicious curiosity. Dan pressed his knuckle to his upper lip, drawing it between his teeth to nibble at awkwardly. Things had tensed up between them as he considered the way both seemed taller than him in this moment. He chewed a little harder on his lip as he realized how disconnected he was suddenly from them, as if he were a child before two adults.

The teeth dragging down on his flesh made a sudden cut, the heat and shock jump-started his system. He spat out the blood on the floor and the tension broke at his actions when they both glanced over at him. Some part of him was pleased at that. Reno's face was disgusted; Cloud's perfectly blank.

Cloud turned his back on them after a beat and walked out. He was among the first to leave, but no one watched the blond go but him and Reno. Reno's eyes were trained on his back, obviously considering following him.

Well, Cloud clearly needed some space, especially after yesterday. His friend had some issues, and he probably didn't want a blabbermouth like Reno to spread word of what bothered him. Maybe someone said something, or he messed up in class. It would be like Cloud to take that personally, and Dan had liked that other, younger side of Cloud. So he had tried to coax it out, through friendliness and being open with him. Cloud resisted, but Dan was determined to find some of that quieter and kinder Cloud.

And so, when Cloud had his problems yesterday, Dan knew that another side of Cloud was coming through to hide the soft side. He just had to wait for the defense to fade, but Reno hadn't understood. Dan tried to be a good friend to Cloud, but Reno got in the way more than helped, and he certainly just made things worse. He turned to Reno as the thought occurred to him. "You cut class and I'll tell Hale. He'll have your hide then."

Reno sneered at him, picking up his tray and dumping it a little more roughly than intended. "You gonna tattle on Cloud too?"

"No, just you." Dan smiled sweetly at Reno, knowing it would set the redhead off.

Reno shot him the darkest glare he had. He knew he was caught though. "I'm gonna blast your ass or freeze it off, bastard."

Dan just smiled at the threat_,_ clearly amused with Reno's inaptitude with materia. "It's called Shell, idiot."

* * *

The empty room Cloud had slipped into was a traditional materia practice room. It was a square box with thick plastic from floor to ceiling to trap lightening magic. There was a ledge on the left side to stand on, leaving an eight-square-foot area open for balls and small explosions of magic.

Cloud had picked this particular one because of its location. The room was just beyond an intersection and across from a janitorial closet. It was often overlooked since the other materia practice rooms were around the corner and generally larger. He'd found it long ago when he was first there, though it had been a hideout from the bullies hoping to catch him on the way to meals. Later on he'd come back, just to take a look at the ruin of something from his childhood, only to find a huge, mako-altered wolf in it. Cloud had killed it, wondering if something else had died in this room before because of the simply horrendous smell. It was strange that after all these years that smell had stuck with him.

He shook off the thought and couldn't help but smirk as something else occurred to him. He was turning into Vincent; lurking around buildings, brooding on past grievances, avoiding human contact. At least he could pass it off as teenage angst, unlike Vincent who still looked twenty-seven physically but was pushing past middle-aged.

Well, as a teenager, he certainly had never stolen expensive materia before. There was a first for everything though. Cloud moved to one of the corners on the elevated ledge next to the wall, pulling out the stolen materia from his boot. If there was one thing Yuffie had taught him, it was how to nab and conceal materia. The supply closet with the basic materia in it was laughably easy to get into. He'd grabbed one of each kind and gotten out without being seen.

The whole room had been begging to be robbed. The glow was visible from under the door and the lock had punch-in numbers on it that were worn down from being pressed so many times. Three different combinations and Cloud was in. The whole closet was shelved from floor to ceiling, every shelf covered in what looked like the biggest marble collection in the world.

The ones he'd taken had a good amount of experience built up, but nothing too noticeable that people would realize they were gone. Attention was the very last thing he wanted. He picked one up from the pile and rolled it in his palm. He was almost afraid to try the materia, unsure of what could happen. Was he closer to the Planet since it had sent him back here, and that was why he now had this ability with magic? Should he try to contact the Planet again? Or had that burst been just a freak accident?

He hadn't even thought to ask Aeris, and now that seemed rather stupid since the melting-door incident had been so recent. He'd been so wound up it hadn't even occurred to him.

He tilted his head to the side, rolling an Earth materia in his hands. This one wasn't for practice, since Quake was dangerous to use inside a building. The result probably would have been funny though. He could imagine Shinra executives running around, worried about the plate falling in and trying to find a way to get the obese President to safety. The image was satisfying, even if he couldn't act on it. The more powerful materia, like the Ultima and Comet he'd once had all had to be manipulated in the desert for practice. And that was strictly for SOLDIERs. Only SOLDIERs had clearance to destroy large expanses of land. The regulation army was only given the basic elemental materia and these tiny rooms to practice in.

_I wonder if I could melt the reinforced walls…_

The one in his hand was bright green, with a white core pulsating slowly. The green was speckled with bits of darker coloration all the way to black. The shapes and colors were constantly changing, rotating on an invisible axis. It was as dazzling as staring into a fire. Before he knew it, the ground shifted slightly beneath him. The finest of cracks started from where he was seated, rippling outward to the wall before falling dead.

He squeaked suddenly and uncharacteristically, dropping the materia and groping for another. He was so surprised by the even the mild shaking he hadn't even considered anything but making it stop. It was silly, and he leaned down to pick up the dropped materia that had rolled a little away, relaxing as he did so. He'd been admiring the power in his hand, the barest thought of using it flickering across his mind, and the ground had begun to rumble. If just by holding it the magic had become attuned to him, enough to sense cadences in his will, _what would he be like when he wanted to blow stuff up? _and that realization scared him a little.

Well, his question was answered at least. His magic _was_ more powerful. Enough that he could activate a materia without going through a medium like a bracer as was normal.

Weapons, armor, almost all of it had slots for materia that channeled the magic to help the wielder more easily use it. The fact that Cloud was doing magic without that was a testament to this new enhancement. Unless the user was highly skilled, it was almost a requirement to equip it. Aeris had been the only one in the group who could use a typical materia without it from almost the start. Red XIII and Yuffie had achieved that level with a lot of work, and only with lower level materia.

He couldn't help the small smile that came on to his face, even though this smugness was rather new to him. It looked like he wasn't without some advantages after all. Cloud tucked the Earth into his pocket and pulled out the Ice. With careful precision he held it out in his hand, extending his arm away from his body. The materia fit perfectly into the palm of his hand, his fingers clenching around the rounded exterior. He could almost feel the movement, like it was breathing quietly in his hand, a sensation he had never felt before. The roiling waves inside it were moving against his hand like an invisible liquid.

He would've smiled stupidly at the sheer awesomeness of the feeling, but the weight of what it meant was enough to ruin it. This was a piece of the Planet itself, a bit of its soul. Did anyone realize what power these little balls of light held?

He would have to see Aeris again, find out what this was all about. He rolled the materia in his hand again, admiring the glimmer through his fingers. He tapped it with his nail, hearing the hollowness of the sound, a fine clear note.

Concentrating, Cloud envisioned a blizzard filling the room, shards of ice flying in a tight circle, freezing wind biting his skin. The more detail added to the image the better the result. He focused that will into the materia, telling it to make what he saw happen. A cloud of white wind started up first, spinning counterclockwise with ever-gaining speed. As it spun faster and faster the ice in the wind condensed, forming sharp blades that whirled threateningly. As the power built, Cloud could feel his hands burning, his fingers gripping the materia tightly as he controlled the element, this raw force of nature.

It was the most amazing feeling, enthralling and gripping. He could feel the temperature dropping in the room; see the condensation building up on the walls. The floor was littered with flecks of snow; his whole body was exhilarated with the sudden cold. There was so much energy thrumming in the room that the hair on his arms was standing on end, his spine on fire from shivers from both the cold and the power rush. Was this what it felt like to be Shiva, the Queen of Ice? Or a summon?

His eyes were watering, lips chapping, and fingers bloodless, but he wouldn't let go. No wonder summons hated to be in materia, no wonder they always seemed so angry, so defiant and proud when released. This kind of power confined? Cloud wanted to laugh, but his throat was tightly shut, the cold burning into his face and whipping snow into his lashes.

The vortex continued to circle with increasing fervor, the storm he was creating howled like a wounded animal, the shards beating against the invisible walls of space Cloud's will alone was holding it to. This awesome storm was like a Nibelheim blizzard packed into a closet-sized room, powerful and wild, writhing in its torrent, and Cloud alone controlled it.

He might have kept it up for hours, though likely it had been ten very long seconds, but finally the strength and danger of the storm began to register. Every detail fell back into sharp relief when one bladed shard cut the edge of his face, catching right under his left eye. The pain knocked everything back into place, the first thing being that he was not a god, and this was not normal.

Fear returned to him, and the danger of where he was sitting, what power he was staring in the face came to him. He dropped the materia, and the wind flew into a greater rage, howling in all its ferocity, and he wondered if maybe this was some kind of summoning, that he let something out. Cloud scrambled back, feeling the first stings of panic. He dug into his pockets desperately, his hands shaking from the cold and adrenaline. Where was that fire materia?

But even as he felt himself up and down for it, the blizzard before him had begun to slow, the howling of the wind dying off. The energy seemed to drain away, dissipating back into the atmosphere. Cloud's heart was flying in his chest as the last shreds of the violent storm trickled to the floor, the snowflakes fluttering like leaves. He couldn't seem to draw a deep breath or take his eyes away from what he had just done.

Cloud sat back, wiping the back of his neck as he just realized how hot he had become. The cut on his face was beaded with blood and he might have a windburn on his cheeks. His hair was wildly messed up, flung in all directions and dripping with snow. One cold droplet slipped down the back of his collar, and he felt the whole thing tingle down his back, like a great shudder of wings.

He leaned back against the wall, sagging as he rested. The Planet had given him something that even the mako he had before couldn't match. What exactly it was he wasn't sure, but powerful magic was all he really needed to know. That, and to be very careful when using it.

"…Thank you."

It was breathy, it was barely even a voice in the room, but he had meant the words with his whole heart. Mako had given him back the edge in battle, even over SOLDIERs. This could be decisive in a victory over a greater number of enemies or a stronger foe. He gave a tired smirk to the empty room, pleased even as he tried to get his breath back.

* * *

The door was thrown open dramatically and with enough force to rattle the paintings off the walls of the adjacent room. Sephiroth had installed a rubbed doorstopper when Zack was elevated to Lieutenant General specifically to stop that. As it was, Zack's entrance was met with the resounding bang and rebound of the door, which knocked him squarely in the nose.

"Happy Monday to you Seph." Zack had two fingers clutching his nose, his voice scrunched up as he spoke around it. It hadn't taken any color out of his enthusiasm, but it had startled him enough to cut him off for the moment. After a beat, the SOLDIER trooped into the office and slouched ungracefully in the chair opposite the General's desk. There was never any formality, no salute or offer to run and get coffee. Zack had long given up on even trying, seeing as how his relationship with Sephiroth ran deeper than just co-workers.

They were _friends_.

That didn't stop Sephiroth from giving Zack a hard glare for good measure. Friends or not, some things would never change. Sephiroth refused to look away, meeting Zack's eyes with his unrelenting bright stare, holding it until Zack's eyes flickered away. He'd been thinking about it, and it was really bothering him:

"Did you know it was Strife's birthday yesterday?"


	14. The Ties That Bind

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Fourteen: The Ties That Bind**

"Reno, take the manager's computer!" Cloud whispered as loud as he dared, his eyes frantically roaming the walls for cameras. Reno didn't say a word, but he turned away from the cubicle he was poised to enter into, backtracked, and headed for one of the offices on the side of the room.

It was a large, uniform room full of identical cubicles in neat lines, each with a symmetrical set up of a stiff chair, fake wooden desk, and a computer set on it. There was little to identify one Shinra employee's desk from another, and the managers would have been the same if they didn't sit in the only unattached room. It was the definition of the Shinra workplace: modern and robotic.

Reno was crouched by the glass wall of an office, one of the manager's of this floor. Nearly every Shinra floor was identical, so picking an office to raid hadn't been too hard. The only issue was surveillance, but floor 21 was low enough to have the minimum. The higher the floor meant the more demanding and important the work, and therefore more cameras and guards. Down here though, it was mostly accounting, so the patrol was limited and the surveillance even less.

Still, Cloud glanced around the corner of the cubicle he kneeled by to look down the aisle and into the hallway. The lights were low during the night hours, but all the offices were pitch black. He'd angled the door to be ajar just so he could see the play of shadows at the end of the corridor by the corner near the stairs. Reno had leaned against the glass, just out of Cloud's sight. The blond could hear him tap the lock though, tapping the glass around it with his knuckles for good measure too.

"Ha, not even locked." In the semi-darkness Reno's grin was probably very hard to see, but Cloud didn't turn around and crane his neck to even try.

The planning for this 'invasion', as Reno called it, had been limited at best. As soon as Cloud had come back from afternoon classes, Reno had hauled him off. The redhead had run through a rough plan of how he wanted his first question answered.

In all the mayhem of Cloud's birthday he'd completely forgotten his promise to Reno. In exchange for teaching him parkour, Reno expected help on answering some questions. They turned out to be more harmless than Cloud had thought, though harmless was a more relative term. Sneaking around Shinra Headquarters at one in the morning wasn't usually considered harmless.

Compared to what Reno could have asked though, this was nothing.

The door clicked behind Cloud as Reno eased it open. This office had large panes of glass for walls facing the cubicles, but the blinds had been pulled down at the end of the day. Every light was off in the room, so the only glimmer came through the handful of windows to the outside. The hallway was lit dimly though, and combined with the vague moonlight there was enough to work by.

Cloud hadn't been too surprised in their brief planning session to find that Reno knew quite a bit about the rotation and paths of the guards. The last time Cloud had broken into Shinra Headquarters, he'd ended up in an air vent above the President's boardroom. Reno's ideas were a little more concrete than that, and he had actually planned it out better, though that wasn't saying much.

There was one guard to every eight floors until floor 40, where patrols and surveillance increased significantly. The guards on the lower floors had to make a full rotation in a zigzag pattern over the eight levels they were guarding, using the stairwells on both sides of each floor. Reno had made sure to time it so they would be able to reach the 21st floor while the guard was on a higher level. That way, the guard would pass them by once on his way back down, which significantly cut the chances of being caught than if he came by twice.

To get up to the 21st floor, Reno had planned everything out with a map, lines drawn all over it like it was a football game, with them essentially darting in and out of rooms to avoid notice. Cloud had pointed out the emergency stairwell on the side of the building, and Reno had scrapped his idea at once.

The last time Cloud had broken into Shinra Headquarters he had used this method. He had avoided any fighting, but the group had been exhausted climbing almost sixty stories. Cloud had conveniently left out that he knew the stairwell only opened on the even floors, because that might have been suspicious. It hadn't deterred Reno though, who was inordinately fascinated with how Cloud knew about this stairwell, but he'd gotten the hint with Cloud's stony silence to any questions.

Of course, getting in was much easier than what Reno needed to do. He had to hack into a computer quickly but without triggering an alarm to answer his question: What the hell was Shinra doing in Junon?

Why Reno cared Cloud didn't know and he didn't ask—he did half wonder if the redhead was associated with an underground group or something and was selling the information, but it didn't much matter to Cloud. Reno would get it somehow; he was certainly clever enough. Cloud just simplified the process with the emergency stairwell.

The blond already knew what Shinra was doing in Junon, but the canon was top secret right now from what Cloud could figure on the news. There hadn't been a whisper of it, and it didn't sound like it had been built yet either (because who could miss it when it was sticking out of the harbor like that?). Reno was hacking into the manager's computer to access any information concerning Shinra's activities in Junon. More SOLDIERs than usual had been sent there, along with a couple of science teams and raw goods normally used to stabilize and maintain the plate. Cloud didn't know how Reno knew that either, but his connections certainly had their facts in order.

Cloud shifted his weight a bit, still resting on the balls of his feet. He couldn't sit down because he needed to be able to move fast if the guard came by. His senses were all on alert, eyes sharpened and hearing strained. Every muscle was coiled, ready to duck under a desk in a cubicle if any shadow so much as twitched.

The tension was palpable even in Reno, who acted a little more nonchalant than Cloud. The redhead had gotten a little condescending when he referred to this 'invasion', taking pride in that he'd done something of this caliber, or at least similar to it, before. Cloud wanted to snort at how juvenile he was acting, but he couldn't exactly blurt out that this was nothing compared to what he had done and keep calling Reno immature. So he'd taken Reno's haughtier-than-normal attitude with indifference.

Cloud could hear the furious typing slipping through the open crack left by the door. Reno's hacking skills were still un-tempered because he hadn't had much access to a computer in the slums, but he had time to hone it. No doubt he'd been very good when he was a Turk, but for now he just wanted to try his hand at it. Not that Cloud could argue with that, since he had cut class just that morning to try something too.

Something moved. A sound, far away, but Cloud was sure he'd heard it. Every muscle stiffened, adrenaline pumping straight to his heart and tingling down to his toes. His right hand rested just over the top of his boot, fingertips just grazing the hilt of a small knife, clenching as he reacted automatically to the warning his brain was screaming. Cloud rose up on to his feet more securely, still low but more agile in this defensive crouch.

Just like they planned, Cloud backed up slowly, careful to keep his eyes on the door now. He'd be ready to jump and hide the moment it was touched, and his muscles twitched spasmodically in response. He took even steps, back bent to keep his whole body and all that bright, pointy hair below the top of the cubicles, until he reached the end of the aisle. He stopped before the entrance to the last cubicle in the row, then reached back with one foot, gripping the corner of the wall to maintain his balance, and tapped the glass of the office as quietly as possible with the toe of his boot.

Cloud's eyes remained fixed on the door, now farther away and his angle of the shadows gone. He wanted to wince at the sound of his hard boot hitting the glass, but then there was a resounding silence as the typing stopped, the whole room ringing as that quiet hum in the background disappeared. Cloud thought he heard the sound of cloth rustling as Reno dropped behind the desk, but he couldn't be sure. Reno reminded him of an eel sometimes: slick and agile.

There were sounds from the hallway filtering in now, and those took precedence in Cloud's mind, cloth and the muffled sound of boots on a carpet. His ears seemed to sharpen even more, almost painfully listening to the faintest movements. The hairs on his arms were rising, and the only thing he knew now was that all his focus was on the sound of boots as something powerful gripping him like he hadn't felt in ages.

Cloud tensed even more, his whole body ready and thrumming for action. He would have darted under the desk right near him, but the sudden movement would have alerted the guard. As the man stepped into the room, Cloud matched his footsteps, timing it so the sound would be hidden behind the man's own steps. It was a strange dance; Cloud carefully shifting sideways into the cubicle, staying low, while the guard took even steps. At last Cloud was at the edge of the desk. In one move he pivoted and sat, curling up. He grabbed the wastebasket by the bottom to avoid the plastic bag inside and shifted it in front of him to hide the glimmer of a reflected light from his boots.

Now his hands were shaking, his breath shallow. The footsteps approached, he could almost feel the floor shake with the man's weight. Cloud squeezed the toes of his boots with his hands so he wouldn't shake from the adrenaline rush of such near danger.

There wasn't any fear in his blood, his heart pounding fast but steadily. He wasn't afraid. All he felt was excitement, almost lust for a good fight, and heart-pumping action. His lips were pulling at a grin, giddiness mixing with adrenaline in his veins. Cloud wanted to peek, to test the boundaries, maybe even knock something over to give the guard a start. His fingers clenched around the ends of his boots tighter, the blood fighting to circulate properly.

Light breathing followed the footsteps. The guard must have been from the regulation army, because the beam of his flashlight fell into the aisle adjacent to Cloud's cubicle. Mako eyes would have been able to see just fine in this half-darkness, but the guard hardly even moved the light, only watching the floor as his boots and military pants walked past Cloud's hiding spot.

The way the sound retreated told Cloud he had reached the end of the aisle, and the blond's breathing sped up a bit in response as the guard turned around. The light slipped past the opening again, his boots following a moment later. Cloud's heart all but stopped, the urge to jump out of hiding hitting desperate heights when the guard flashed the light about a bit, but the man turned away after a moment. The footsteps trailed away and the door shut behind the guard with a definite click.

Silence reigned for a solid minute as Cloud tried to calm his wildly beating heart. That had been close. In more ways than one. A small part of Cloud was a little disappointed it hadn't been closer.

* * *

The cadet's barracks were quiet, everyone fast asleep. Cloud and Reno had returned unscathed from their adventure, going back down the staircase and slipping back into the cadet barracks without another problem. They'd half-ran the whole way, and now flopped down on the couch at the end of their hall, their strength and the high of sneaking around beginning to wear off already. It wasn't until they made it into their halls that they could really celebrate.

"Man, I thought that guard might've spotted you. He had his flashlight going everywhere. He ran it over the blinds and I was lucky those were shut tight. Imagine if he'd caught my shadow! Must've had a sixth sense or something." Reno was still feeling a little euphoric at their success and the way his voice got louder and louder was evidence of it. He seemed far younger, more like a teenager when he spoke like that.

"Yeah, my heart nearly gave out when he gave a once over to the aisle I was in again." Cloud leaned back into the couch, relaxing all his stiff muscles. It felt good to be back safe and knowing that there wasn't an ounce of evidence you'd been there. True success.

"I'm just glad he didn't open the door of the office. I would've been spotted in a second." Reno wiped imaginary sweat off his brow, though the collar of his pajamas had some on it. Clearly he'd been having as much fun as Cloud.

"You got what you wanted right?" Cloud wondered if he should encourage these hacking skills. It was something Turks wanted usually. Vincent had been exceptionally good at it with older computers. By the time Cloud had freed Vincent from that coffin, all his old "back doors" had been found out. Now though, Cloud wasn't sure if he should try and push Reno away from the Turks. It wasn't an easy life, and though Reno had made some kind of family there, it was still a sacrifice.

Turk-life was essentially an undercover agent, assassin, and a diplomat all rolled into one. The requirements were nasty, the training was practically impossible, the job was undesirable, and Reno would have to give up a full identity for it. His whole history would be destroyed to keep his identity and skills secret. And their friendship might suffer since SOLDIER and the Turks weren't exactly the best of friends. But was it really Cloud's call at all? Did he have the right to take that chance away from Reno?

"Yeah, lemme tell you what I found." Reno sat up more fully on the couch, ignoring Cloud's spacing out. He was used to it by now, and hardly thought anything of it anymore. "Turns out they're making some kind of huge weapon in Junon. Monstrous. I couldn't get the plans for it, that was super locked-up and probably only the top engineer and head of the weapons department could see it. Didn't want to risk too much on our first go after all."

Reno's eyes were glimmering as he recalled the escapade, hand gestures and all as he gave Cloud more details into how he hacked the files and what he found than the blond could ever need. The redhead was terribly proud of his accomplishment, and Cloud was willing to humor him. He was probably right though in that the top engineer and Scarlet were the only ones with the plans.

_Ugh, Scarlet…_

"It was too technical most of it, but from the sounds of it it's mad powerful. Who knows what they'll use it for? I guess it if rotates you could shoot at something across the sea, but what's out there? I hope they don't try to blow up the Gold Saucer. I gotta see it before I die."

Reno's ramblings were losing Cloud as sleep made his eyes itch and burn. The Gold Saucer, huh? Reno would certainly see it. And love it. He'd probably throw all his money away there too.

Sleep was calling, Cloud could feel it as he eyes tried to close, his body shutting down slowly. The sudden drop in adrenaline was unfamiliar to Cloud, something he could hardly remember from his childhood. Mako didn't wear off for hours or suddenly plummet like that, so the sensation felt very old, long forgotten. The couch was proving to be awfully comfortable, it's cushions soft and worn, and he felt lethargic and relaxed. He could just rest and let Reno talk away…

Reno kicked Cloud in the shin hard enough to make him jerk in response. He bolted up and in one move had launched himself off the couch and into a defensive stance, hands up and ready. Reno was midway through a yawn though, his eyes shut. He didn't think a thing of Cloud's abrupt move, too tired to really give it a thought. "Get some sleep. We've got conditioning tomorrow so you'll need it too."

Cloud and Reno headed back to the bunker, each falling into his bed, already dreaming as their heads hit the pillow.

* * *

"Cloud! What is that!?" Dan's wild pointing at Cloud's head had the blond momentarily stunned. It had been so unexpected, right in the middle of their spar, that Cloud hadn't even had the chance to figure out what triggered it.

"What?"

"Dan's gone totally nuts. Hallucinating now!" Reno called from across the room, pausing from his own spar to taunt him. Dan ignored the jab though, staring over Cloud's shoulder. It clicked a moment later.

"You've got an earring!"

Unconsciously Cloud reached up to finger his left ear, the mark still a little red from the day before. "Yeah, I just got it."

Dan still looked a little shocked. "I thought only girls got piercings."

"What planet are you from? Every SOLDIER's got at least one." Reno had somehow managed to gravitate from across the room to right next to them in about thirty seconds. The instructor had his back turned, a stroke of luck that probably saved Reno's hide. The redhead would probably have been physically dragged back to his mat, partner in tow, with a lecture for running across the room to gossip.

"I certainly haven't seen any-"

"They do." Cloud's abrupt remark cut short what would have been another verbal war. These two couldn't seem to do anything else when together. "Let's just finish. You're lucky Instructor Mesk hasn't come over here yet."

Reno turned away after a beat, grumbling the whole time. His partner look distinctly annoyed to have been so easily abandoned. Cloud ignored Reno's melodrama, turning back to Dan and putting both fists up again in the traditional ready position.

Dan responded after a moment, still processing what had happened. His look was a little vacant, but Cloud ignored it. He'd been just as shocked by some of the tattoos and places for piercings when he'd come to Midgar, so he found it easy to excuse Dan's innocence. He'd been the same once.

It was Wednesday, hand-to-hand combat day, and Dan had finally managed to beat Reno to be Cloud's partner. The blond had done his best to ignore their competition, finding it uncomfortable and awkward to be at the center of it. He'd even gone and partnered up with other people some days if it got to be too much. Today had been relatively smooth until Dan's outburst.

Hit, duck, shoulder roll, clip the knuckles, catch and move, duck and shift right-

It was a mantra Cloud kept up, a steady, objective commentary of all his moves that kept him focused on the here and now. His body was getting more attuned to attacks and defensive counters, and his muscle memory seemed to be coming back faster than expected. Zack was helping immensely with this, and despite Cloud's initial nervousness at one-on-one lessons, things were working out so far.

Reno was still faster than him, that whole eel thing again with his sometimes-liquid movements and improvised combinations that caught everybody off-guard. They made good sparring partners, but Dan wasn't too bad either. He was stiff when he fought though, and he fought right by the book. There were moments though when his quick reflexes and sharp jabs with just his fingers really got to an opponent. Still, by Cloud's standards he'd be easy to take down in a real fight.

"So…" Dan was panting a bit to keep up. Cloud just kept pushing the pace. "Why'd you get it?"

Dodge left, grab the bicep, snap the arm back and duck and whirl for a kick to the back-

"Huh?" Cloud wasn't paying attention to Dan's talk at all. He had missed that last one with a well-timed duck by Dan and that had jarred him enough to realize Dan was speaking to him. The kid muttered sometimes to himself, and Cloud had grown used to it enough to tune it out.

This lesson in hand-to-hand combat was one of their best yet. The cadets were finally working more to develop offensive attacks and counters in combinations, using multiple moves and variations on traditional ones. Cloud was thankful for this because it meant more interesting matches and he didn't have to hold back quite so much.

"Why did you the piercing?" Dan winced almost immediately after he asked, Cloud's fist connecting with his ribcage a little harder than intended.

"My friend wanted me to." A half-truth, not quite a lie.

"All of a sudden?" Dan swung out a little more than necessary, the circle of his fist wide enough to give Cloud a good opening. The blond planted a powerful kick to Dan's stomach, the boy sinking in on himself almost instantly. That might have been a little harder than it should have been, and Cloud immediately felt a little bad for hurting the kid.

"Ah, sorry." Cloud rubbed his hands down his pants once, belatedly realizing he should offer to help Dan up. He quickly brought his hand out, politely helping him to stand. Dan rubbed his bruised belly, face scrunched up in more pain that he probably was really in.

"You two done?" Without waiting for an answer, Instructor Mesk clapped his hand loudly and called for a break. "Water! You got ten!"

Cloud approached the water cooler quickly and retrieved his water bottle. The sweaty boys tended to congregate around the cooler, and even though the room was large and airy the odor would linger there for a while. Cloud left that circle and drifted over to one side, keeping his distance from the rest.

Reno joined him not a moment later. The redhead splashed some water on two fingers and dabbed at his sweaty brow. His hair was pulled up into a ponytail and much darker underneath. His partner had a lot of stamina and had clearly kept him going. "You gonna keep that simple stud or get something else?"

Reno had spotted it at breakfast but hadn't said anything. Cloud hadn't mentioned it at all, not even to brag. Reno was going to ask, poke it to make sure it was real and not some lame joke of Cloud's SOLDIER friend or something, but he'd forgotten. Then Cloud acted like he'd always had it, not bringing it up at all or touching it, and Reno was nearly convinced he _had_ always had it.

The redhead shook his head mentally. It fit the blond perfectly, that's all.

Cloud finished sipping his water, thinking about what to say. The stud he had was just for new piercings, and he wanted something like his old one. He'd gotten attached to that wolf design. "I'll get something else later."

"I know a nice jewelry shop under the plate that has some sweet stuff. They even do custom if you got the Gil." Reno cut his eyes at Dan as he approached. His gaze was hostile, but Cloud ignored it. That was between Reno and Dan, not him.

"Only if you'll teach me some there." They'd really only done some basics for parkour, stretching and easy strength stuff on Saturday, since neither of them had anything to do and no money to spend. The jumping had been fun, but more for Reno than Cloud. Jumping around like that, even with all the military training they went through had been painful, and not just because of their exhausted muscles. The landings Reno made look easy were actually very difficult, as Cloud discovered. He had trouble keeping his momentum from propelling him away and into the floor, especially when he had to stop fully on the balls of his feet. He'd managed it once or twice, but absorbing the shock wasn't easy while maintaining his balance either. Reno could land on the edge on just the balls of his feet, bending his knees to almost a right angle without falling. Waving his arms around to keep his balance just made his feel silly, and it hadn't helped most the time. The practice had been good for perfecting how to fall without hurting himself, though Cloud still managed to acquire some new bruises.

The session hadn't been without merit. By the end he was starting to get the hang of it, and while Reno laughed at him through most of it, he'd hadn't been a half-bad teacher either.

"Sure sure." Reno waved his hand as he said it. Cloud's thoughts skipped to Aeris at the thought of Midgar, but he wasn't sure if he might get the chance to slip away again. And he definitely wasn't bringing Reno to meet her.

"So Cloud, you know monsters could pull on that thing, right?" Dan indicated the earring with one hand. For some reason it seemed to be bothering him. Cloud's mouth twitched at that. He'd been plenty weirded out when he'd seen his first real tattoo: a giant tiger clambering up someone's back.

Reno cut in before Cloud could say a word. "What monster's got small enough claws to grab it? And that's only dangling ones idiot."

"Hey, I'm just looking out for Cloud! He should consider everything before he does something so, so…permanent!" Dan's defense of Cloud and concern for him was endearing on some level, but it was mostly annoying.

"Cloud's an adult man, not some baby. It's up to him so stop bugging him over it." The same sentiment went for Reno too.

It had been Zack that had taken Cloud to get the piercing done. The SOLDIER had found Cloud during lunch and had dragged him off back to the bunker, making a bit of a scene in the cafeteria again. Zack had made it clear he was a little upset Cloud hadn't told him about his birthday, even if the blond had obviously been in a bad mood that whole day. When Zack pressed him about why though, Cloud, feeling both guilt and irritation at Zack's nosiness, had been silent. The blond had been worried though that he'd offended Zack, and he might have now that he really considered it, but Zack was great at hiding things behind a smile. The SOLDIER let it drop, but not without wrangling a promise out of Cloud to not complain when Zack threw him a huge 18th birthday party.

The SOLDIER had also given Cloud quite a scare bringing up his birthday, and when the blond had finally gotten his voice back to ask how, he almost wished he hadn't asked.

But then, he wouldn't have known.

"Sephiroth told me." That's what Zack had said. _The General_ had told him.

Cloud had gone hot and cold on that one, and even now he felt a chill shudder through his spine. There'd been pleasure there, no doubt about it. He was thrilled to know Sephiroth was interested in him. There was horror too though, and that was proving to be the stronger emotion.

_Was he suspicious?_

When Cloud had gotten up the courage to ask why Sephiroth knew, Zack told him the man had only said, "I make a point of knowing my subordinates," which had made Cloud frown the same way Zack had. That wasn't an answer to either of their questions.

Either way, Zack wanted to celebrate, so after their lesson that evening he'd rushed Cloud into the showers and they'd left Shinra. Zack had taken him out to a little noodle shop in town, and then, maybe because Zack's presence was still a little overwhelming sometimes, Cloud had admitted he would like to get a piercing. He really just wanted something to physically differentiate himself now from the teenager he had been, and Zack jumped on to the idea immediately.

Soon enough, Zack had led the way to a small tattoo parlor above the plate. It was unfamiliar to Cloud, though Zack was perfectly at ease. But then, he almost always was.

Cloud hadn't even thought there'd been any tattoo parlors on top of the plate, but apparently there was one. It wasn't in a back alley or on a mangy street, but on a popular sidewalk amidst boutiques, salons, men's shoe stores, and what looked like a custom tailor's shop. It didn't even stick out: no heavy, Goth or punk images in the window or smoking teenagers lingering on the doorstep. The front window wasn't covered in tattoo designs or metal band posters. It was normal. In fact, the only part of it that indicated it was a tattoo parlor at all was the sign, the name along with a simple dragon design:

_Rich Mattie's Tattoo Parlor_

It didn't seem like the kind of business that would be up here, but with lots of hardy and rough SOLDIERs just a step away, there was plenty of business to go around. Zack attested to that with one piercing in an ear and a tattoo of a sword on the back of his neck. Zack let Cloud touch that sword, admiring how the skin wasn't raised and the perfect detail of the hilt that had matched the Buster Sword. The blond couldn't remember ever seeing it before, guessing it had disappeared after their time with Hojo. Five years in a mako tank would do that.

"Oi, Cloud, let's go." Dan tugged on his arm and let go almost immediately as Cloud pulled away instinctively. Their water break was over, and Cloud had just zoned out of it completely. He took his last sip before setting down the bottle against the wall. The blond followed Dan back on to the mats, this time with Reno on their left. The redhead glared at the group that tried to say they'd been on that mat, and they left fairly quickly. Sometimes Reno still made people nervous because he was straight out of the slums. Being friendly with Cloud, the nobody from a little town out of nowhere, didn't seem to hurt his image at all. Either that or he didn't let it.

The instructors gave a brief explanation of what to do this time in groups of threes, and the fights started again. Cloud was still distracted though, so he let Dan and Reno practice first while he ostensibly refereed the match and noted strengths and weaknesses or something equally mundane. Cloud had precious few memories of good times with Zack, so he wanted to cherish the ones he had.

The tattoo shop had been very clean but dark, with designs and photographs lining the walls up to the ceiling. The man behind the counter looked every ounce the tattoo artist, covered with all kinds of images crawling up his arms and torso, his face and ears decorated with piercings of all sizes. He wasn't the kind of guy you expected to see on the plate.

All the SOLDIERs came here for their piercings, Zack had told him, because the place had the right machine to make the hole. With all the mako in a SOLDIER, it was hard to make a proper hole without it trying to heal back up too quickly. Plus, this guy was a professional, very quick with his hands, and he ran a clean store.

The guy had recognized Zack, but unlike with Reno in Wall Market, Cloud hadn't been forgotten for a second. He'd been introduced almost immediately, and the man had cracked a grin so wide Cloud thought it might be fake. Rich, the owner, had been perfectly amiable and knew how to set aside any fears for a first-time customer—except of course this time hadn't been Cloud's first.

When Cloud had gotten the piercing before, he'd been in Midgar under the plate not long after Zack's death. He'd done it in honor of Zack, who also had one in his left ear. He remembered the seedy place he'd gotten it done only vaguely. The guy, despite appearances, had known what he was doing, even if his bedside manner left a lot to be desired. It probably helped too that Cloud had come in with the buster sword strapped to his back.

It had been strange to be at that tattoo parlor with Zack, seeing the smiling face and listening with half an ear to his inane chatter. The experience was almost the opposite of his first; he'd gone in depressed, alone, and angry. Here he was excited, happy, and had Zack talking his ear off right next to him. It had come full circle.

The SOLDIER had laughed when Cloud asked for one in his left ear like Zack's. Rich had just grinned at them and winked, but Cloud didn't care. Zack was beaming at him, excited as much as Cloud was, though he showed it more.

It had been swift and practically painless. If there was one thing Cloud was glad for, his pain threshold was far higher than it had been when he'd been a cadet before. But then, that was a psychological thing and his mind wasn't the same as before either.

Zack had paid before Cloud could, insisting it was a birthday present. Cloud thought it was probably the best one he'd ever gotten. Zack had admired it, just as pleased with his idea as Cloud had for getting it. Nothing pleased Zack quite as much as knowing he'd made someone happy.

Cloud was jerked out of his reverie as Dan tapped him on the shoulder. "Tired? You okay?" Cloud shook his head and moved on to the mat, ignoring Dan's concern. He put his fists up in a ready position and narrowed his focus on Reno for the spar. This was time to improve, not daydream.


	15. An Extension of Yourself

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Fifteen: An Extension of Yourself**

If there was one thing going right in all the mess that was cadet training, it was his practice sessions with Zack. Thursday's had been particularly rough, but worth it, even if that meant Friday's classes weren't quite as much fun when he was still sore all over.

"Cloud, duck down some more. Even if you can't see 'em doesn't mean they can't see your chocobo hair." Reno was hissing under his breath and making furtive motions with his hands. Cloud's seriousness towards some lessons seemed to have rubbed off a bit. Reno had called Cloud "hardcore" and a "wannabe", but he was beginning to mimic him regardless.

It hadn't bothered Cloud that the other students resented his attitude towards classes; he figured it was only their loss in the future if they slacked off now. Still, it pleased him that Reno was slowly losing that immature edge. The group's resentment might have been caused because of the blond's sudden improvement, but the redhead was starting to take some cues and even he was showing signs of improvement. When Reno was as serious as Cloud about it, they could get quite a bit done when working together. The way AVALANCHE had done before.

The longer Cloud lay on his stomach like he was, the deeper the butt of his rifle dug into his side. He'd drifted off a bit, but thinking of his time with AVALANCHE and what they had accomplished together reminded him of other horrors, and he'd rather come back to reality than follow those thoughts.

He and Reno, along with four other boys, were hiding behind a low wall marking the edge of the fifth practice ground. More open fields were spread beyond it, but the boundaries of the exercise were right where Cloud and his group were crouched. The exercise today was in stealth, and each team had to retrieve an object and reach a designated spot without getting caught. They were sneaking towards the canteen they were supposed to steal, and still fairly well ahead of the competition. They were waiting for the guards to switch in this area, but someone else had triggered an alarm, so it was delayed.

Reno was quiet and still beside him, not fidgeting or muttering like the other boys. Cloud was thankful for Reno's attentiveness to the situation today, because the blond's mind couldn't seem to completely focus on what he needed to do. The heat, his lack of sleep last night, and the lack of movement now as the group waited weren't helping the situation.

The training sessions with Zack were changing, and Cloud had a hard time focusing on these classes when Zack's lessons were so much more useful. Tuesday's lesson had quickly evolved from being so much about technical details, movement and basics to more natural sparring, practicing combinations and working on quicker counterattacks and reflexes. It was a little more dangerous for Cloud's position if he intended to hide anything, but so much more worth it. Never dull anymore, that's for sure.

"_You might not have much in strength, but you certainly have the speed to keep up. Don't block if you don't have to—your opponent can't hit you if you're not there."_

Zack had spent most of the session calling out advice between slashes of their swords, throwing out useful tips he'd picked up on the battlefield. As they'd fought Cloud had tried to consciously incorporate what Zack said. Their swords had struck less often and they'd tussled more on the floor, mixing hand-to-hand combat into swordplay. Their old lessons of block - parry - parry - attack - block - counterattack were gone. It had been exhilarating to break form to try something new.

"_Exhale on the attack. More power, more momentum, and a more even breathing pattern. That'll keep you up and fighting longer."_

They were both so caught up in fighting on that Tuesday that the session had long gone past curfew. Zack had to escort him back to his own bunker because midnight was approaching. Their spar had lasted far longer than any before too, and Zack's mentoring nature that might have stopped the sessions before was receding. Cloud sensed Zack was beginning to see him on a different level. No longer was their relationship characterized as cadet to First Class, but now new warrior to old.

Being Zack's equal was something Cloud had longed for, and now it might actually do him a disservice. The last thing he needed was to be dragged back to the General's office for any kind of suspicion. And yet, despite that looming fear, Cloud was still excited at the prospect of working alongside Zack at a higher level. He had never gotten the chance before.

"_Taller opponents have a longer reach, but they often leave their legs exposed. Head and torso aren't the only places to strike. And the point isn't to hit the sword; it's to hit the thing behind it. Beast or human doesn't matter. Blade or claws, same goes. If you can get around the blade, it doesn't matter what's in their hand."_

The session on Thursday had been the most exciting and hardest yet. Zack had shown up with something new, something Cloud knew intimately: a buster sword.

"Practice with just a broadsword is like eating only waffles: unhealthy." He elaborated with a grin and a powerful swing of the blade. Seeing Zack's old buster sword was akin to the first time he'd seen Zack again here. It the one that Zack would give Cloud on that dreaded cliff. He could still remember all the details and grooves of the rusted version, the way the grip felt and the weight of blade. Cloud had called it_ the_ Buster Sword for a reason.

That sword had seen all kinds of horrible and wonderful things with Cloud, lived through all his adventures. Cloud had dragged it through the desert to Midgar, killed Sephiroth with it, and battled all over the world with it. He could almost see Zack's hand perfectly fitted to the hilt, the easy confidence he swung it with, the smooth movement of the sword cutting the air…

It would never looked better than when it was in Zack's hands.

It had been Cloud's. Given to him on Zack's deathbed on that cliff, his last request no man could have refused. But deep inside, Cloud had never felt worthy of it. That sword had been passed down through a line of powerful men, ones who upheld friendship and had proven their strength and mettle through countless trials.

And Cloud felt nothing like that. He'd stolen Zack's strength, his sword, his entire life, and the only thing that had been left of the real Cloud was humiliation at his own weakness, and regret. He hadn't even fought for friendship or the thought of peace. He'd hunted and killed Sephiroth because of personal obligation, love, and revenge. He'd done it for his own peace of mind, not for anyone else's, and he hadn't even accomplished that. No, his motivations hadn't been worthy of that weapon.

Zack chuckled, smiling widely at Cloud with an emotion the blond couldn't identify in his eyes. "This is _Galatine_. My mentor trained me against this blade, and I worked hard so I could fight equally with him. This was his sword passed to me. Maybe if I die in battle I'll pass it to you too someday."

Cloud was blindsided by both pleasure at Zack's acknowledgement and fear if it ever came true, and he accidentally loosened his hold on his sword. It clattered to the ground loudly, shaking the floor at Cloud's feet. The blond's throat tightened up dangerously. He couldn't refuse such an honorable request, and yet Cloud desperately wanted to. Such responsibility was something he hadn't felt ready for the first time, and something he felt he might never be ready for.

Cloud managed to swallow thickly, but his feet were leaden and the muscles in his arms jumped they were so tense. But Zack's face broke out into a grin, seeing Cloud's alarm. The raven-haired man laughed loudly and rubbed the back of his head. "No one's immortal Cloud. It'll happen someday." He didn't seem too worried though; more sheepish he'd given the blond such a scare.

The SOLDIER's words couldn't be heard above the pounding rush in Cloud's ears though. Zack's smiling face overlapped with his visage in death: grisly and peaceful all at once. No, Cloud didn't ever want the Buster Sword back if it meant Zack's life.

"…Don't …Don't joke about stuff like that." He turned his eyes away from the bright edge of the buster sword, its tip resting on the floor as Zack leaned on it. Cloud instead focused his eyes on the line of light reflected from it on the floor. It extended all the way to the wall, like a beam of sunlight. He wondered if maybe the serrated edge on two of First Tsurugi's blades would make a jagged line.

"Aw Cloud, I didn't mean it like that." Zack walked forward and his large hand landed on to Cloud's head. Any other day Cloud might have been insulted at the gesture, feeling like a dog, but now he felt a little better for it. Zack's hand was warm and strong, heavy and calloused. He wasn't going anywhere for the time being, and hopefully not for a long time. Not if Cloud could help it.

They'd sparred then, and the depressing atmosphere had lifted as soon as Zack accidentally broke Cloud's training sword with Galatine. The pieces had splintered off, and the ravaged ends were like the uneven teeth of a Behemoth. One broken-off shard had cut Cloud's arm as it went by, slicing through his sleeve and leaving a bloody trail behind.

Zack had apologized a hundred times, his face a little paler and eyes wide. He looked like a child whose joke had gone a step too far. But Cloud knew what happened with swords, and he'd been cut to ribbons before so this was nothing. He had just rubbed the blood away with the sleeve of his shirt and shrugged it off. He'd lifted up the destroyed sword, laughing a bit at the absurdity of what had happened. He went to retrieve another, swinging the broken one and laughing as it made a whistling sound through the air.

After Zack's initial shock at hurting Cloud, the man had relaxed. He didn't manage to completely hide the odd look in his eyes as he watched Cloud laugh at the sword. The blond didn't seem to notice though, and Zack couldn't really complain. It was a shallow cut and Cloud shrugged it off.

Catching up with Cloud, he joked, "That's probably the sharpest that blade has ever been," nodding to the broken one Cloud had discarded at the side of the room. The First leaned on Galatine, crossing his arms around her guard-less hilt. "Guess we'll have to make you work with an old-fashioned iron sword then. 'Least you'll work on upper body strength. These carbon steel swords are…" he paused, searching for a word to describe the cheap swords Shinra let cadets train with, "…functional."

"Functional?" Cloud had echoed followed with a snort. He was standing by the shelf where more swords rested, picking out one that looked tough enough to withstand Galatine's might. Carbon steel swords weren't bad; they were certainly better than the display stainless steel ones cadets were often tricked into buying. The really cheap ones weren't even folded. Those, Cloud could probably break over his knee even without mako. The Shinra standard-issue swords weren't very flexible but they did get the job done. Sometimes.

Zack tossed him a set of keys. "Here Cloud. The closet over there's got some better swords." He indicated with a nod of his head to a closet off to the side. Cloud unlocked the door, the little room dark without light. "Grab a flexible steel sword. Those are the best they've got here."

Cloud pulled one out and tested its weight and balance. "What's your's made of?" The one in Cloud's hand, the blond noticed, was a little off-kilter. The handle had been dented at some point, and that put the balance off. As he appraised the others while pretending to study the one in hand, the way an amateur might dwell on it just to be sure, Cloud took a good sweep of the closet. There weren't a great variety of weapons here, mostly swords of different make and size. Any fancier and rare weapons were probably personally owned and stored. Still, the weapons here were of fair quality, and probing around later might be worth it.

"Damascus steel."

Cloud put the sword down and reached for another. He'd already known that, but as a cadet he wouldn't have. "Expensive right?"

"Very. Worth it, but takes a lot of saving to get it. You could probably buy the chocobo farm for the cost of one sword of it."

Cloud said nothing as he took his chosen sword back over to Zack. He actually had no idea what First Tsurugi was made out of. The sword didn't rust and never needed sharpening, and after cutting through almost any material he'd given up on guessing.

Their spar continued almost immediately, but more furiously. At first Cloud was cautious, his blows careful, testing the bounds of Zack's reach, the angle of his swings. Much of Zack's style was eerily similar to his own, and Cloud was catching on to the patterns and repetitive moves quickly. That had impressed Zack immensely, and the SOLDIER pushed him for more.

By the end of the session it was three hours past curfew, and Cloud was in desperate need of a shower. Zack had driven him hard, and by the end it felt like he was only barely restraining himself from using his enhancements unfairly. Cloud had responded in kind, and though he had trouble keeping up or taking the offensive from Zack, he'd managed a good defense throughout. It hadn't occurred to him until his walk back that it might have been suspicious.

"Man, you're going to be sick when you're in SOLDIER." Zack was only panting lightly, but his grin was brighter than the lights in the room. He was feverishly elated and he swung Galatine up to rest on his back as he walked the now exhausted Cloud back to his quarters.

Cloud had been glowing inside as they walked, until that comment reminded him he might have let something slip. Looking back on it though Zack hadn't been acting suspicious at all, and Cloud had let those worries rest once he'd thought about it this morning. At least Zack was the kind of man who would confront him face to face if he thought something was strange.

And that was a relief. As long as it didn't happen, Cloud could rest a little easier.

* * *

"Cloud, ixnay on the running-behind-the-trees plan. There's some people over there and I wouldn't doubt they'd shove us right through the tree line. If we follow the wall some more there might be another opening." Reno pulled his ponytail over his shoulder, the back of his neck beaded with sweat. The sun was unbelievably hot today, and Cloud could feel the heat against the back of his shoulders and neck. He would definitely be burnt tomorrow. Reno might match his hair if they couldn't hide in some shade soon.

"Sure. Just crawl on your stomach when we get around that bend. The wall's almost half as high there." Cloud flattened his hair down with his hand, ignoring the heat of his burning scalp and the sweat creeping into his collar. His blond hair was drooping ridiculously, and if they had to do any serious running it could become a problem. A bead of sweat on Reno's face followed the slightly indented trail of one of his tattoos. The heat never got this bad under the plate, the constant shadow keeping it cool most of the time.

"Man, I think he dehydrated and passed out." Reno nudged one of the other boys on his team with his foot. The kid was sprawled on his stomach, face turned to the side with his mouth wide open. A blade of grass with a tiny bug on top was almost in his mouth.

* * *

Friday night dinner was hot dogs and hamburgers, and Reno scarfed down two of each in the first ten minutes. Cloud had eaten his hamburger at a more sedate pace, though Dan made constant comments on the state of the meat of his hot dog throughout dinner, which was mildly off-putting.

Eventually Reno and Cloud escaped dinner and headed in the general direction of the training areas, having shaken Dan off earlier. The brown-haired boy had disagreed with Reno's idea of picking the armory lock—actually a cover Reno had used to talk to Cloud—and had protested the plan by refusing to go.

"So what do you want?" Cloud didn't dilly-dally with words. Reno had been building up to something throughout the afternoon and Cloud's patience had worn thin. The redhead had any number of chances to speak up but he'd held his tongue. That worried the blond.

"Well, I got another question. And since today's got no moon and I know a guy who knows a guy on watch—"

"What's the question." It was more of a statement than an inquiry, and Reno noticed right away.

"Not sleep so good last night? You did come in late." He gave Cloud a one-over, leering at him for just a second before pulling back. "Naw, you didn't. Just toyed with you then?"

"No. What do you want?"

"Snippy huh? Fine. You got all tomorrow with me underground if you help out. Tonight."

Cloud's eyes narrowed even more than they had been at Reno's lewd questions. If the redehad was springing this on him now, the plan was probably risky at best or involved something highly illegal at worst. Even though the danger got Cloud's blood going it also made him put on the reins. "How bad?"

Reno leaned back on his heels, resting his upper arms against the wall of the empty classroom they were occupying. He stood just outside of the light from the window, his sleeves rolled up on his uniform, and his hair strategically unkempt and falling out of the tie. His mischievous smile and the disarming stance made Cloud wary since the blond knew he was deliberately hiding how he felt.

"You know Heidegger? That guy with the weird laugh and the mean right hook? And the totally hot bitch that runs the weapons department? I want some info on them."

"Heidegger and Scarlet." Cloud's disbelief was clear in his voice. Any deep or personal information other than the publicly known was hard to find on high Shinra executives—and those two were among the highest. How the hell did Reno expect to find anything on them? And why?

"Yeah yeah, all their nasty little details and all them skeletons are real hard to find, I know. But that's just asking for people to go digging Cloud!"

"I don't even want to know the plan." Cloud turned to walk away, intent to let this particular intrigue of Reno's lay to rest. He wasn't going to dig around in those kinds of files, and it wasn't like there was anything to learn from it anyway.

"Hey!" Reno caught Cloud by the back of his sleeve, stopping him in his tracks. "It's not that bad. And if you don't help I ain't showing you anything tomorrow." He looked like he was grasping for straws, already getting desperate for Cloud's help.

Reno had certainly grown up when he was with the Turks then. "Parkour isn't worth that risk."

* * *

That evening Cloud returned to his bunker alone. Cloud's refusal had put Reno in a bad mood and he'd left in the other direction. Walking always helped him to think things through, and he needed some peace of mind right now. His wanderings led him all the way to Shinra Headquarters. The mindless buzz of quiet voices was the perfect backdrop as he mulled over answers.

He wanted—no, needed—that information. Heidegger and Scarlet were integral parts of Shinra, and being out of the loop on even basic information on them wasn't something Reno liked. If he could just hack a high enough computer he'd be in, but that wasn't possible alone. And what was Cloud's problem? He could use all those nifty skills to make this work, and it was just more of challenge. He'd really put his foot down on it and the redhead was having trouble seeing why.

Maybe it was the specific people. Should he have not mentioned their names? No, Cloud would have probably demanded to know anyway. Maybe that last time had scared him? No, Cloud had been elated on their way back, looser and excited. Hm…

Reno's feet knew these paths by heart. He'd walked them hundreds of times before, chatting up old acquaintances and generally getting to know the area. He never came on a schedule and always took different routes, but it was worth it to hear the gossip behind Shinra.

"Reno, you out tonight? Gotta watch the first floor back hallway—Grieg's on duty there." The friendly guard hailed Reno down with a small wave, and the redhead obligingly went over. Guards like Marceto, gamblers at heart and good talkers, were Reno's best friends when he was having trouble. Even just tidbits of knowledge could sometimes be the key to getting around Shinra.

"Thanks, Marceto, I'll stay out of there. I was wondering if you knew anything on some First Class SOLDIERs? They pass by here a lot?"

Marceto's positioning tonight was by the back stairs of the second floor. The first six floors were the largest in Shinra, housing more than just offices but basic stores and conference rooms. Those were good areas to stalk around in the evening before the Headquarters started the night shift because people lingered picking up groceries or supplies here, and that meant eavesdropping.

They were also the floors everyone had to pass through to leave. And that meant Cloud's SOLDIER might have passed by. Reno had no real means of getting good information on Cloud. Other than the obvious—his cadet profile, which had been laughably easy to hack—Cloud was a closed door. He never talked about himself and he Reno was finding it difficult getting him to open up. To get anything on Cloud therefore, Reno thought the SOLDIER might be the key. And as Lieutenant General he was likely privy to things Reno would kill for.

The thought of Cloud having some big secret had been haunting Reno for weeks now. As long as he'd gotten to know the blond, he'd found there to be something off with the kid—just too many quirks popping up all at once. Reno had kept it a little side mission for himself: find out Cloud's secret.

Despite how he acted and how people thought of him, Reno had no intention of blackmailing Cloud with that information. The blond was growing on him a lot, and it wasn't like Cloud had anything Reno wanted. That, however, didn't discount a certain amount of arm-twisting. But he could justify it by saying he could better plan, and even guard it, if he knew.

Well, that, and he just couldn't sate his curiosity.

Marceto was a bit long-winded, since he didn't get much chance to gossip, but he got around to lamenting that no SOLDIER Firsts had come by, complaining of boredom. He said people had gotten into using the newly replaced elevators, so the only person that came by anymore was Reeve Tuesti, head of the Urban Development department.

"Really?" Reno leaned back on his heels, playing the part perfectly of an interested, but not overly so, friend. "He walks?"

"Said it was better for the environment. And his waist." Marceto chuckled at that.

"He's a funny guy?" _Environment huh?_

"No, not really. He has moments, but he's a fairly nice guy."

Reno nodded in response, but knew Marceto didn't know anything else. He only saw Tuesti in passing after all, and Marceto wasn't the cleverest of men.

Reno thanked the guard and mulled over what he'd learned as he changed course and headed for the stairs.

Reeve Tuesti was a high-ranked man, being Minister for Housing and Urban Development, and had been a member of the executive boards for a good while. Which meant Tuesti was at the executive board meetings with people like the General, the creepy Hojo, Heidegger and Scarlet.

_Perfect._

If there were anyone who knew details about the last two it would be Tuesti. He had access and time, because Reno couldn't recall Urban Development doing _anything_ all his life. The department had designed Midgar and the reactors, Reno knew that much, but that had been ages ago, and what had it done since? And if Tuesti cared enough about the environment to walk down the stairs from his fifty-some-odd floor, Reno might already have the upper hand.

It would be luck if he ran into Tuesti tonight, but Reno was willing to try it. Cloud's exercise regime was working for the blond anyway, so if Reno had to do this every night then he might as well make it worth his while.

It was on the thirty-eighth floor when Reno heard another's footsteps. The redhead had been moving steadily higher, taking care to keep his footsteps even and quiet. Guards this high were posted fairly close to the stairs, and Reno didn't want his boots to alert them. He could claim to be exercising—he was a cadet trying to be a SOLDIER after all—but somehow he didn't think they'd buy that. It might work for Cloud, but not for Reno.

"Evenin' sir." Reno slowed to a walk as he turned to the flight the other man was on.

He was a couple of steps higher than Reno and standing beneath a florescent light that did nothing for his pale skin. He had a crop of dark brown hair swept through with fingers so many times there were shadowed runs in it. Stress related habit clearly. He had the makings of a beard and mustache, but the hair was sparse and thin. Reno wondered if he rubbed his chin and the hair came out, or if he had just started to grow it out.

He had on dark navy slacks, with a white button-up shirt and tie that was a little tattered near the ends and missing both cufflinks. Tuesti obviously didn't care much for his appearance, though the necklace he wore under his collar, the chain just peeking out, gave way to his wealth: gold, probably real given the simplicity of the design.

The man's suit jacket wasn't really a jacket so much as a long, blue overcoat. The blue was actually a shade lighter than his pants, though considering his dress already he probably cared as much as Reno did. It had a high collar and some kind of crosshatch buttoning, but Reno couldn't see the details since it was folded in his arms.

Reno suppressed a grin as he recognized the executive from what publicity photos he'd done, and nodded his head politely. Tuesti mimicked the action but he stopped walking altogether.

"And what are you out for at this time, young man?" He had a soft, friendly voice that surprised Reno a bit. It was the kind of voice suited for teaching or some other scholarly pursuit, not for working at Shinra.

"I was headin' to the roof." Reno faked a wince as his accent came out a little more strongly than intended. _Let's see what Tuesti makes of a street rat…_

"The roof? Why?" Tuesti seemed genuinely interested and that was just what Reno was going for. Poor guy never saw it coming.

"To see the stars. Can't see 'em under the plate and it's too foggy on the ground."

Tuesti's face brightened in an instant and Reno knew he'd won.

"Do you do this often? And you said under the plate? So you've lived there and now intend to join Shinra? I've heard there's a place where a woman grows plants, is that true?" Tuesti's eagerness would have been endearing if Reno hadn't been aiming for it. The man wasn't cut out for Shinra if he was this easy to read. How had he lasted so long?

"Lived there all my life. And yeah, she says love makes 'em grow." Reno was pulling bullshit out of ass at the last part. He'd heard of the woman that grew plants, but he'd never spoken to her and he'd only seen them once. Figured she'd be meat for Shinra if she got too popular.

"Tell me, um…" Tuesti's polite pause held a little longer than it should have. Down under the plate people weren't nearly this polite. Reno always thought it a little funny, though it made him uncomfortable at times. This time it was intentional though, and therefore amusing.

"Reno. I'm a SOLDIER cadet." Reno held out his hand awkwardly, and Tuesti immediately lit up and took it gingerly. Compared to Reno's big, lean fingers, Tuesti's were smaller and far softer. He'd probably never held a weapon in his life.

"Reno. Reeve Tuesti. I work here in Housing and Urban Development." Reno noticed he didn't admit to being the top of that food chain. "I was wondering if you would tell me more about under the plate. I go rarely, no time you see, and well, it's not quite the same as someone's who lived there and 'seen it all' if you will."

The poor man was babbling a bit. Reno almost felt bad for weaning information out of him, but certainly not enough to stop. "It's real dark and smoky and there's plenty of trash. Some people burn it to keep warm when it gets cold."

"How much trash is there would you say?"

"Well, I guess Mr. Tuesti, sir, there's enough to go 'round. People make houses outta it in the poorest parts, and even then it's all on the streets and sh- er, stuff."

Reno was starting to sound like some of those people who lived in the real dumps. He'd put on the accent real thick and tried to ham it up—though he hoped he didn't go too far. It didn't hurt to add a sir here or there too he knew. He'd probably give Dan a heart attack if the kid heard him.

"Reeve, just call me Reeve. I wonder if burning that trash could make energy. I know mako provides for all but there's been some…issues with it."

Reno perked up at Reeve's pause. Issues huh? "Um, issues? Like there's no power down below sometimes?"

"Well, not quite."

They continued Reno's walk and together had headed up to the roof as Reeve dodged some questions, but mostly encouraged Reno to chatter about the slums some more. Reno had been so engrossed in making this believable and winning the executive over, that he hadn't quite realized how far up they'd gotten. Reeve pushed open the door and they walked on to the roof, Reno making sure to look up at the night sky admiringly.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Reno's neck was craned at an awkward angle and the number of stars in the sky was actually fewer than he imagined. Somehow that swath of black dotted with millions of lights he'd seen in books had become black with a couple of pinpricks. "Where'd all the stars go?"

"All the lights and the smog cover them up. Their light isn't as strong, so it can't reach us here. If you were to go out into the desert you'd be able to see far more of them." Reeve was staring up too, lost in thought. "I hope one day everyone in Midgar will be able to see them."

"Yeah…" Reno felt pretty stupid for a moment, even if it did help his 'mission'.

"If you're coming up again, time it around now. I'll join you and you can tell me more about what happens under the plate. And maybe I'll be able to answer your questions." Reeve turned fully to look at Reno, who stopped staring at the handful of stars to stare at him. "This will be mutually beneficial, Reno. It was lovely meeting you. I hope to see you again soon." Reeve gave him a quick bow and showed himself off the roof.

Reno stared after him in contemplation.

_Guess he wasn't just for publicity. Sneaky bastard._

* * *

Cloud's return to the bunker was interrupted by his stomach. He hadn't eaten too much at dinner and now it complained.

Decision made, he changed direction and headed for a lounge where there were some snack machines and a couple of worn, yellow couches. Cadets hung out here sometimes and Cloud had caught some SOLDIERs once, but mostly it was for office workers and tonight the place was empty. Most everyone had gone into town since it was Friday night, and that left Cloud and the stragglers alone.

Oh, and Reno.

Cloud's frustration with Reno only grew as he thought about it. That boy had no idea what he was dabbling in, and Scarlet and Heidegger were dangerous territory. Even after Meteor, information about everything they'd done had been hard to come by, and Cloud was convinced they were the only ones alive who knew it all. But Reno wouldn't stop. He'd probably hound Cloud for a while then maybe resort to blackmail or coercion. Cloud didn't want to expect that of his growing friend, but he knew better than to underestimate Reno. The blond could hope there hadn't been too much of the Turk in Reno to begin with.

The lounge was deserted and the candy machine was still fairly full, so Cloud perused the selection in the lone light of the machine. The room was dark, just a scattering of lumpy couches and coffee tables. There were a handful of windows, but the night was full now and there was only a sliver of moon.

Speaking out loud to himself, Cloud wondered, "Chocolate… but which kind?"

Chocolate had been Cloud's vice growing up, and Tifa had taken every advantage she could to remind Cloud of it during their journey in AVALANCHE. He still couldn't forget the look on Barret's face when Tifa happily informed him Cloud's one and only weakness was chocolate—especially rich dark chocolate.

There were at least three different options and none were dark chocolate. However, Cloud didn't really want to get back to the barracks anytime soon, so he was procrastinating the decision, not to mention he couldn't quite remember what was in some of these candy bars. "Kit Kat…too easy to share, Dan'll want some…"

"Snickers are my favorite."

Cloud whirled around fast enough to cause whiplash, one fist lashing out instinctively. He hadn't heard or felt anyone come up behind him.

His fist was caught in a slender hand, the pale fingers curling over his knuckles. He really did have pianist's hands, long and supple, but their grip was tight and unyielding. Cloud couldn't help but lock his eyes on the difference in skin tone between them, one milky white the other with a pinkish flush. He tore his eyes away though as he realized what he was doing.

He was tall enough that Cloud had to look up, otherwise his eyes rested on the slip of skin peeking out where his shirt was unbuttoned. Cloud thought he could feel his heart stutter beneath his ribs, but it was like everything had frozen and it didn't matter.

He couldn't tell what Sephiroth was thinking, but it was probably something bad.

His stoic face was still hard, but somehow softer than it had been in the office. The lines weren't nearly so stressed or solemn, and his eyes had lost that imperial touch. Maybe it was because this wasn't a formal meeting, or it was the lighting, or maybe because Cloud had tried to punch him, but either way it was restarting Cloud's heart and making it flutter oddly.

Cloud loosened his fisted hand after a moment, realizing Sephiroth hadn't let go. He vehemently squashed the giddiness at that as Sephiroth's fingers slipped off his hand. _This doesn't count as anything. This _doesn't _count as anything._

"Snickers are my favorite, Strife."

The hairs on the back of Cloud's neck rose at how mellow and smooth Sephiroth's voice was. Cloud's ears were as red as Reno's hair and the blush was spreading wildly. He could feel it crawling on his skin. It took him a moment to register the words, and then he looked away from those captivating eyes and let out an unsteady breath, nodding vacantly to the General's shoulder before turning to the machine.

Carefully, trying to keep his hands from shaking, he took the small handful of gil in his pocket and popped three in for the candy, doing it slowly so he didn't drop them and make more of a fool of himself. He pressed the buttons, acutely aware of Sephiroth's presence no more than two feet behind him.

His back was so rigid he thought it might snap, and every time Sephiroth exhaled it managed to tense just a little bit more. Cloud couldn't believe he hadn't realized anyone was standing there before, because now all his attention was fixating on the man behind him, relentlessly outlining every swish of his hair or twitch of his fingers.

He tried to focus as he waited what felt like an hour for the machine to register the money, his choice, and then laboriously push the candy out of the rack. The grind of the machine was grating to Cloud's ears, and he immediately wondered if it bothered Sephiroth even more. He had the ridiculous urge to apologize for it, but the words wouldn't come out, and Cloud knew he'd regret them if they did. Cloud tried to focus on Reno, his mind going high speed, trying to think of all the reasons the redhead was getting to him. He could use that frustration instead of this tumult of feelings he couldn't control.

It was beginning to work slowly, as he thought of how stupid he must look, being so nervous waiting for candy of all things. The General would never take him seriously like that, and it would disappoint Zack, but most of all Reno would never stop laughing. And then Cloud would be even more of a fool, and the General would see it and…

The Snickers was stuck. The corner of the wrapper was caught in the ring of its row and Cloud couldn't believe his idiotic luck. This day had started off well and just kept going downhill as far as Cloud was concerned. First Reno, now Sephiroth, and this. As though he hadn't been toyed with by fate enough.

Before he could think it through, he slammed his fist against the transparent plastic of the machine, even letting a growl of annoyance slip out. Sephiroth's presence was screwing with him, Reno's antics were stressing him out, and now he just wanted some chocolate to fill the gnawing feeling in his stomach, but the damn thing couldn't even do that.

"Hm…bad day?"

Cloud twitched at Sephiroth's infinitely smooth voice slipped into the haze of his mind. He relaxed his shoulders carefully, suddenly aware of what he'd done. He'd practically thrown a temper tantrum in front of the General. _The General! Sephiroth!_

He closed his eyes, resting his fist against the machine but loosening the strength in his fingers. He felt like a child and an idiot. "Ah, sorry sir. I just… things have been… well, what I mean is-"

"It's fine Strife. Here." Cloud turned back around slowly. In Sephiroth's hand was three more gil. Cloud's eyes went as wide as they could.

"No, no thank you sir. I couldn't, c-couldn't possibly-"

Sephiroth sighed and shook his hand before him. "I have plenty and I know cadets make little. I think I can spare three."

Cloud stared at Sephiroth, more surprised than anything else now. He could swear Sephiroth might be, well, unsure about this. His face was clear of any thought or emotion at all, but the way he'd slipped his hair behind his ear right before speaking had Cloud wondering.

Cloud reached out meaning to just say no, but his hand pushed the ends of Sephiroth's fingers and curled them back over the money before he quite realized it. "It's fine sir. I don't really need it."

He wanted to crack a joke about his teeth or fat, but his throat already had his heart in it and the words were all garbled in his head. _Why did I touch him?_ He didn't really need the chocolate, and most of all he just wanted to get out of the stifling atmosphere before something even worse happened.

Sephiroth looked surprised for barely a moment, his eyes darting down to where their hands had so briefly touched. "Then wait a moment Strife."

With some reluctance, Cloud stepped aside. All he wanted to do was collapse on his bunk and hopefully wake up with amnesia.

The machine beeped as Sephiroth put his money and choice in, then two thumps of falling candy followed. Sephiroth crouched down to get them out and Cloud's gaze flicked away from the tempting sight in work pants. Sephiroth righted in a moment, too graceful to be real, and held out a Snickers bar.

When he reached out to take it, Sephiroth dropped the candy in his hand and folded his own fingers over it before walking away with a murmured, "Good night, Strife."

Cloud closed his fingers on the bar, knowing for a second if he'd been his younger self he would never have been able to eat the chocolate. The General walked out of the room without a second glance, already peeling away the wrapper of his own Snickers.

* * *

"I've got an idea Cloud, so will you at least listen?"

Reno and Cloud were walking through the hallway on their way out to Midgar. Reno had offered the parkour lesson if Cloud at least listened to his idea on how to get information on Heidegger and Scarlet. Cloud had agreed, knowing whatever Reno came up with he'd turn down.

"Don't get that look Cloud. I know you're gonna say 'no' no matter what, but you have to hear it. Who else am I gonna ask?"

Cloud sighed and looked away, glancing down a connecting hall. Reno turned to continue his argument and caught the most irresistible red blush coloring the blond's ears.

The General was heading down the corridor, an aide by his side and a clipboard in his hand. He was dressed perfectly normally with the sleeves rolled up even with all the air-conditioning, being all General-ly as usual, and Reno wasn't all that impressed. He was far scarier in that leather outfit, not that Reno was going around challenging him to fights. But Cloud had practically stopped walking, and though Sephiroth wasn't looking at them he knew he would be in a second.

As tempting as it was to see what would happen if Cloud were caught staring, Reno knew a good plight when he needed one. Cloud was going to grow roots and stick to that floor until Sephiroth walked into him or looked at him, in which case Cloud looked like he might faint.

_Well, sometimes it pays off to be the knight._

Reno yanked Cloud's arm a little harder than necessary, walking the blond around a corner before he could be caught. Cloud would thank him later, and Reno might already have half of the key to Cloud already without even trying.


	16. Many Paths and Errands

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Sixteen: Many Paths and Errands**

His face was red, there were pebbles on his hands, soot in his fingernails and dirt in his mouth, and Cloud had managed to forget everything but it for once—it was wonderful.

Parkour was a gritty sport at its best, its roots coming from city dwellers running from police and gangs. Cloud had thought of it first only in terms of usefulness, thinking only of how that sort of agility and awareness of the environment could be applied in fighting and future events. Even now that was his overarching goal, but it didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it.

There was something about being slammed into the ground during a practice spar that made Cloud just want to get up and do it again. It might have been that bit of masochist in him, but he liked a rough opponent who wasn't afraid to turn a push into a shove. It wasn't fun and rewarding if there weren't bruises and dirt in the end, and parkour was certainly left him a dirty and sweaty mess. Reno must have felt the same way, because his grin was saying it all.

They were on a set of steps leading down from a dark building in an abandoned part of the slums. There were quite a few of them, mostly because they were Shinra property and had been testing ground sites for weaponry. The Shinra labs had a couple of spots here for mutant testing, and that cleared out this area real fast. Cans and newspapers drifted about in the dirty wind that swept this way east, neither refreshing nor particularly cool. The dark, hulking shapes of buildings threw them into deeper shadow and even though it was mid-afternoon, evening was taking shape here.

Reno had called it safe. Reno's idea of safe, however, left much to be desired. Cloud had slipped an extra weapon with him just in case.

The building before them sat on a raised dais with a large front courtyard that might once have been something great. The mortar was cracked, the stone fountain chipped and long run dry. It was wholly unimpressive now except for the massive staircase Cloud and Reno were at the bottom of.

The steps they were on were directly under Cloud's nose, his breath swirling up dust with every exhale. He could have relaxed his arms and laid his cheek on the ground, but then his legs might have given way if he let himself. That, and one of Reno's buttons were staring up at him. Reno lost more buttons than Cloud could imagine. Their feet were up against the wall, above their backs in a handstand position, forcing all of their weight on to the palms of their hands. It was a distinctly uncomfortable pose, and Cloud had a feeling he'd have burns on the bottom of his palms before this was over. He needed to get some decent gloves soon.

A dank, sweaty wind rustled by them and out of the corner of Cloud's eye he could see a couple of empty liquor bottles rolling away with it. A newspaper, musty and yellow and probably teeming with germs, hit one of his upraised legs. Cloud let go of the disgust and shook his left leg a couple of times before he managed to get the old newspaper off it.

His hands were positioned on two different levels of steps, one higher than the other, and the exertion of holding up his entire body weight for a prolonged period of time shook his shoulder blades and biceps with the stress. Reno was a couple of steps down from Cloud in the same position. He was sweating and trembling even more so, but equally determined. The point of the exercise was to move up and down the stairs on their hands, while their feet guided them against the wall. It was an excellent workout for their arms, though not related in particular to parkour. Cloud didn't mind any extra training; he wasn't overly fond of weight lifting, so the novelty of this method of muscle building was exciting.

"I'm… switching over." Reno's voice was difficult to understand, his vocal cords being constricted from the position. His face matched his hair from all the blood rushing down into it, and Cloud was sure he looked just as good right now.

Reno's hands disappeared from Cloud's view, and Cloud felt a wind go by as the redhead kicked his legs up. In that handstand, his legs bending at the knees to maintain balance, Reno hobbled his way to the other side of the stairs. It was a more impressive feat once Cloud had tried it and discovered how much effort it took to maintain. As soon as Reno's feet hit the wall he let out a loud sigh. Cloud knew exactly how he felt. They'd done this enough times to recognize the momentary relief when the burn ebbed from their arms for a couple seconds. It was back in just moments though, especially when climbing back up.

Cloud watched for a moment, lifting his head to keep his eyes on Reno as he moved. He could feel the sweat sliding down his cheeks and out of his hair, but ignored the persistent urge to wipe it away. He'd only get more grit on his face since his hands had been pressed against the ground for some time now. Cloud shuffled down to the bottom of the staircase and then lifted his body back into the air, resting everything on his hands. He'd fallen more times than he could count doing this, but around the fifth time he'd gotten the handstand down pact. He came as far from the other wall as he dared before letting his feet slide down until they touched it. The relief was only there for a moment.

Now he had to go up.

As backbreaking as the exercises were, Reno always tried to make it a race or competition to keep their spirits up. Cloud had never really had to work at being strong before—by the time he'd joined up with AVALANCHE he'd been mako enhanced beyond most First Class SOLDIERs, and he got stronger just fighting all the beasts that AVALANCHE kept running into. That wasn't how it worked here though, so Cloud did his best to adapt, and if he got to beat Reno occasionally at a race, then the victory was that much sweeter.

* * *

It was a little known fact that Reeve Tuesti was a doodler.

He had a finely colored, fake wood desk covered with penned doodles he'd done over the years. Most useful for when someone actually visited his office and he was bored to tears with their talk. He'd drawn his own knot into the wood and the drawing had become so complicated he got dizzy from looking at it for too long.

There were packets and folders strewn around the cramped room, some drawn on with little cartoonish faces and others with just complicated lines curving all over. His desk was backed into the corner with a side angle of the lone window on one wall. He had a plant off in the corner, its ferns and sprigs reaching longingly out towards the window. Whether for genuine sunlight or death Reeve hadn't dared to imagine.

He hated this office. It was crowded with the filing work and papers he was continually dumped with, the cheap, metal cabinets on the walls were already full to the brim. Without a proper assistant or a real department most of the work fell on him. Even as the Head of Urban Development, he had little funds and even less help.

Shinra had never really appreciated the environmental side of science or his input at conference meetings. It had gotten to the point that he had just stopped trying. It had been maddening at first, and he was still embarrassed that after his third meeting as head he'd thrown his paperweight at the wall out of anger.

By now he was just tired of the same old routine. He'd had a position on the board for over seven years and been at Shinra even longer without seeing any kind of real change. The only departments that had changed were the other science associated ones: Scientific Research, Weapons Research, and of course SOLDIER.

The only reason Reeve thought he had even become Head of Urban Development was because they'd never heard a peep out of him when he was a part of the Environmental Science department. He'd been a regular worker for six years when he'd gotten the sudden promotion at the same time they dissolved his department and turned it into "Urban Development". And to think, he thought he'd earned it at the time.

Well, change wouldn't come from the inside, Reeve had found out. His position didn't equate with power, and he found the corruption started from the core. To make changes it meant working from the outside in or the bottom up, and he'd already started.

* * *

Maintaining his still stance, Cloud could feel the minor spasms in his stomach and the sweat drops were sliding off the sides as the humid heat hung unrelenting around them. His toes were starting to hurt from being clenched so tight and the idea of a foot cramp was steadily growing on his mind. His hands trembled from where they were locked behind his lower back, his knuckles aching as he unconsciously tugged on his fingers to help keep his balance.

Reno was far worse off than he was, and had resorted to pushups since he couldn't keep up the punishing position. Cloud would have laughed at the angry look on the other's face when he stopped, but his abdominal muscles probably would have given out. The blond's morning routine seemed shabby compared to what Reno had them doing. It had him vowing to make a more rigorous workout to match, that is, if he could ever stand again.

It was a strenuous version of sit-ups that Reno had him doing. His feet were locked under the hoop of the first rib of a bike rack, while he sat on the second. This was proving to become vastly uncomfortable over time, but Cloud told himself the pain was the exchange for the workout. From this locked position, he used his stomach muscles to raise and lower his upper body, almost touching the back of his neck to the next rib. If he didn't come out of this with abs of steel he was going to be sorely irritated.

When Reno had said strength exercises, Cloud had thought of the usual pull-ups, jumping and running, maybe even lifting weights if they could get some proper ones from the SOLDIER's closet in the gym. But the way Reno used the environment even in this 'safe' area spoke a lot about his knowledge of the slums and his ability to improvise—or steal good techniques from others.

Reno was down the rack from him, his hands on one hoop and his feet on another doing pushups that Cloud couldn't see, but could hear in the other's ragged breathing.

"You know… I tried to do this st-steadily for years." Reno's voice was choppy at best, his harsh panting and how he was actually speaking towards the ground with his pushups made it difficult to understand him.

"Why… didn't you?" Cloud's abs immediately protested at the extra breath it took to speak the words. He ignored the spasm and kept up his rhythm.

"Couldn't get the… motivation to do it. Didn't need it… as much. But now… we got all kinds of… competition." Reno was practically wheezing, and Cloud didn't know why for the life of him Reno was talking about this up now. He couldn't think of anything good to say in response either. Reno was waiting for something, some kind of affirmative or even a straight negative, but Cloud wasn't sure what the question was.

"Hey… Cloud." Cloud grunted to let him know he'd heard. "SOLDIER… works in teams, right?"

Oh.

The "we" should have been the cue but Cloud hadn't really been paying that much attention. He leaned back on his last sit-up, resting his head on the last bar, Reno just one over from him. Cloud's view was of Reno bobbing up and down in front of him, moving seemingly upside down, his face sweaty and red with exertion. He had the uncomfortable feeling of a sweat drop weaving its way through his hair then moving down his shirt.

"Yeah, platoons," Cloud was able to say. On the next set he was able to look down at Reno just long enough to catch his eye before both went back to counting.

* * *

These reports would never be done. By the time Reeve even got halfway through the left pile, more had grown from secretaries and messengers on the pile to the right. Somewhere not so deep in him he damned himself and his anal thoroughness that didn't let him skim these and sign. He could hardly get his eyes to focus on all the fine print, which was the most important part since this was Shinra. The moment "the" started to look like every word on the line and every line was exactly the same as the one before, he knew he needed a break. A cup of coffee was in order.

Reeve pushed back his seat from his chair and winced as the back connected with the wall. There was a lovely dark line there from the years of abuse and a cheap paint job. He slipped out from behind his desk and made his way to the door. Filing cabinets lined every wall, and Reeve ignored the multiple boxes sitting on the floor next to them, some of which he had to step over just to get out. They were all filled with rejected plans and copies upon copies of mindless paperwork.

The hallway outside was clear; Reeve didn't think he had ever run into anyone from his own department here. In fact, he didn't think he even knew what they looked like—he'd only seen their names on top of documents to sign. There were three other offices on this floor and three janitorial closets. Six rooms, and only three actually belonged to his department. He was king of this hallway and just about that. He couldn't even sell the strangely olive-colored carpet to fund anything, not with so many cigarette burns and odd coffee stains—at least he hoped they were coffee stains.

The only coffee machine near him was four stories down. It actually belonged to some of the Weapons Department managers, but he was a Shinra employee. If they were allowed to abuse their position, he was morally free to liberate some coffee from their tyrannical hands. They were the ones who had jacked up their salaries and were allotted things like espresso-making coffee machines. Reeve didn't think anyone on that floor, or any of the surrounding floors, had ever used that feature, but it was there.

That really irked him more than their abuse of power. Waste of space and money. He'd even forced himself to get an espresso on more than one occasion to see if he felt better justifying why they bought it. It didn't.

The stairs were even quieter than the hallway and his shoes were loud as they echoed. Many employees didn't even know Shinra had stairs. Reeve wanted to be annoyed at them for their ignorance, but knew feelings like those would get him nowhere. He hadn't gotten anywhere for years on his sense of justice, but the only man who did and lived was probably the General. The rest of Shinra had to abide and work within their limits, and Reeve knew his grew closer with every meeting.

He came out at the end of the hallway, the coffee machine just around the corner of the next room. The carpet here was plushier than his own, but a rather revolting shade of maroon. Reeve was almost glad his wasn't like this. No one would have bought this one either.

He turned the corner to the coffee machine, snagged a Styrofoam cup and filled it to the brim. It didn't matter how cheap and tasteless the stuff was, there was more caffeine than anything else in it and that was all Reeve needed. He turned to leave but was surprised when he realized he wasn't alone.

_They say thinking of the Devil draws him near._

* * *

"Alright, let's get to Wall Market. We'll do some stuff there, there's a great spot in the back." Cloud brushed his hands down on his pants, but they still smelled of metal and dirt, and they prickled from how tightly he'd been holding the bars.

The redhead was standing on a ledge not far from Cloud's own, one foot dangling off the side and one foot on it. Cloud had copied the motion and both boys had been balancing on one foot while raising and lowering their bodies, switching every twenty times to keep the muscles warm. He felt like a ninja out of one of Denzel's comic books. Except they didn't flail wildly when they lost balance—too much pride.

"Sure." Cloud with the usual passive aplomb. He hopped down and eyed Reno's grin from where he was still standing, now on both feet. "Extreme tag?"

Reno didn't even wait for an answer; he took off.

* * *

The General of Shinra wasn't one for coffee, Reeve had thought, since he'd only seen the man drink tea. But then, who was he to say considering he really only saw him at meetings.

"Greetings General." Reeve raised his cup to Sephiroth, internally wincing at what he'd just said. Reeve liked to think he was a man who thought before he spoke, but the General always made him jittery, and the caffeine wasn't helping. At least Scarlet got tongue-twisted in the man's presence too, and that was a sight to see.

Sephiroth nodded his head in response, hardly phased by Reeve's words. He probably intimidated everyone into incoherency.

His outfit today was a little stricter than normal, Reeve noticed. They passed often enough, but rarely exchanged words. Still, today Sephiroth's outfit spoke more of physical work than office and Reeve envied his ability to do that. Urban Development didn't often have an excuse to leave the building and burn off some energy, not even to ostensibly check on repairs to the plate. Reeve was a rubber-stamp manager, not an engineer.

Under Sephiroth's white-collar shirt were two criss-crossing straps of leather, the harness for Masamune though where the sword was Reeve didn't know. He was just glad it wasn't here. An unarmed Sephiroth was frightening enough. He had on some tight leather pants and military boots to match with it. He'd been training because his hair was in slight disarray, but other than the outfit he didn't look sweaty or particularly tired.

Still, Sephiroth managed to look like an S&M model that'd just stepped out of a dungeon, making Reeve feel like a potbelly drunk on the street. The second that thought flashed through this mind he clamped down on it though, aware of his company. Reeve didn't really think Sephiroth could read minds, but he could be eerily accurate and there was no harm in being careful.

The General took a sip of his coffee, staring out the window absentmindedly, either not noticing or politely ignoring Reeve's scrutiny. The Head of Urban Development had never seen Sephiroth looking so relaxed, if that was even the right word for it. He was still guarded, but there wasn't the tinge of irritation that he normally saw or the blank stoicism. It made him more… arresting than usual.

"Tuesti, I've heard about beams cracking on the underside of the plate." Reeve looked up at the taller man; surprised at both the comment and that he was speaking to Reeve at all. He didn't turn away, but he inclined his head slightly in Reeve's direction. If this weren't the General, Reeve might have taken it as a snub. Sephiroth was not an unkind man, but as was well known he could be very cold. Reeve knew the President and his lackeys—just about everyone on the board—pissed the General off, so what few conversations they had had been in the wake of those emotions. Though Sephiroth never looked it, even he was susceptible to emotional moods.

What Reeve knew about him was more from the unspoken side, or from his SOLDIERs. As an executive Reeve did attend many of the major functions of the various departments, including major scientific and weaponry unveilings, major SOLDIER promotions, and other company matters. Reeve had seen firsthand at many events involving SOLDIERS how Sephiroth's men deferred to their leader. They respected his authority and aspired to fight by him, and among the tightly knit group of Firsts he was often referred to and treated like kin: godly and untouchable, but still kin. Sephiroth's leadership ability was evident in their unrestrained loyalty. A part of Reeve envied it, but he was more impressed than anything else. This was the kind of power fat, old Shinra could never wield, and it made the General practically sacrosanct.

"Tuesti?" There was a flatness in Sephiroth's expression Reeve hadn't seen directed at him before. He had an inkling it was the onset of annoyance in the General and hurried to respond.

"Erm… yes. Parts under the plate are weakening, but structural work is already beginning. Just some old beams." He hadn't realized it, but he was starting to feel warm and his words were spoken quickly. Sephiroth had the tendency to make people nervous, afraid to disappoint or anger him. Whether that was out of fear of the consequences or whether he was the kind of man people inherently liked to please, Reeve wasn't sure. Still, as he watched Sephiroth nod and turn away, his steaming cup in hand, he was inclined to think it was the latter.

* * *

Cloud put on a burst of speed as he rounded the next corner. The walled in area near the backdoor of the building wasn't too high for a jump. Two feet from the wall he launched himself up, catching hold of the top with his hands and using the balls of his feet to pull himself up. Reno was just steps ahead of him, running along the top of the wall.

While not as graceful as the redhead, Cloud was up in a flash and following. Reno jumped down, rolling as he landed, and bounced right back up to his feet to take off again. Cloud followed suit, trailing after Reno even as he half-sprinted. Endurance was just as important as speed here.

A slanted walkway for the disabled was dead ahead and Reno had already thrown himself over the railing, running along the second tier of the ramp. Seeing him going for a turn, Cloud grabbed the rail with one hand and launched himself over, then using the same momentum, slipped under the railing of a higher ledge just steps away, so he was running parallel to Reno on the ground.

They weren't even for long when Reno jumped for the top of a dumpster, clambering on to the top just as Cloud got to the bottom. Cloud had just jumped up to grab Reno's ankle with his hand when the redhead back flipped off the top, landing with a hard thump on the ground. Cloud turned fast, but not quick enough to stop the eager redhead.

The entrance to the train graveyard appeared, and Cloud and Reno ran right through, dodging small monsters and kicking up dust in their wake. Reno hopped up a couple of crates and on to a train car. Cloud cut through a split open train, making sure to keep pace. Reno jumped the spaces between cars as Cloud deviated away and around, using the extra space to increase his speed. With a push, Cloud managed to jump from the ground to the top of a train car, scrabbling with his feet to pull himself up. Reno skipped just out of reach in time.

They ran all the way through the train yard and out into a side road of Wall Market. Reno cleared a park bench in one leap, followed by Cloud close on his heels. Both boys skidded corners and jumped down steps, using handrails and low ledges for an extra boost of speed. Reno was laughing as he ran, though it was less boisterous than usual from lack of air. Cloud might have to teach Reno the circular breathing technique if they did a lot more running like this.

Cloud lept up for a high wall, and as he jumped from roof to roof he felt younger than ever. This was the closest he was going to get to anti-gravity fighting for a long time yet, so Cloud relished the weightlessness and for the duration of the game forgot about everything else.

* * *

_Dear Cloud,_

_Happy Birthday! 17 is a big year! Congratulations! I know this will probably be a bit late, but the wolves came down closer than they have in some years and with the blizzard the mail carrier was delayed._ _You'd better be as careful in the desert as you are in the mountains. Even SOLDIERs aren't invincible._

_I hope you have a wonderful birthday. Spend some of this money on a nice dinner with some friends. You've written often enough about the food so I hope you do something special for it._

_I miss you dearly. The house is never the same with just me in it. If you get leave come visit. I've missed you so much in these months. Your letters always make me happy; so I hope this chocolate cake recipe you love will do the same. Surely they've got a kitchen you can use! Be safe and know that I'm proud of you no matter what._

_Love,_

_Mom_

* * *

"If you're not going to finish that I will." Reno's fork was pointing at the last of Cloud's burger. Cloud shrugged, and Reno decided that was enough for a yes and pulled the plate closer to him.

While normally Cloud would never have given up halfway decent food instead of Shinra's terrible grub, his appetite had whittled away. The back corner of Wall Market Reno had been talking about was in fact a place he remembered from AVALANCHE. They'd climbed up to the plate to infiltrate Shinra from this very spot. It was a dead end covered in graffiti past Don Corneo's mansion—Cloud and Reno had both moved a little quicker when they came within sight of that house. Cloud didn't know why Reno wanted to get out of there so fast, but the blond had distinct memories of his one and only cross-dressing experience, and the Don wasn't someone he wanted to see.

Looking up from where they sat on the dusty ground, Cloud could see the beams and chains they'd use to get up to the plate. That climb had been completely terrifying—not even he would have survived a fall from some of those heights. Cloud remembered how he'd swallowed the fear of being so high up because he was the leader and couldn't show it. It didn't matter how scared he'd been when Tifa slipped and he'd looked down at her to assure her and accidentally taken a heart-stopping look at the ground hundreds of dizzying feet away. The days with AVALANCHE had been wild and wonderful and sad and thrilling.

Nostalgia. He always thought it was funny that in a way he missed chasing Sephiroth, getting stabbed, getting robbed, finding out all the dirty secrets he didn't really want to know. He never thought he would miss things he hated, like going without baths for weeks, practically falling out of airships, stealing what he couldn't afford. But really, what he missed was the camaraderie, the sense of purpose, all things that had withered away after Meteor. Even after dealing with Kadaj and his group, all the good feelings were gone soon enough.

Reno was still cleaning through his lunch, but he'd also gotten up to inspect the dangling chains and graffiti on the nearby walls. Cloud, who had unwittingly brought his own mood down, reaching into his pocket for the letter he'd received that morning. It was a rare thing to get mail, and a rarer thing still that the nostalgia that normally hit him included his mother.

"What's that?" Cloud immediately tucked it away again, but knowing discouraging Reno directly would only egg the redhead on.

"A letter."

Reno snorted. "Duh." He took another bite though, and after eyeing Cloud's pocket he let him keep his secrets. The redhead wandered over and started to write over some gang's graffiti on the wall.

Cloud tentatively touched the pocket where the letter was. His mother was just as he remembered: optimistic, motherly, and warm. She still managed to inspire in him some of the kind of childhood feelings that were untainted—dreams of being great, respected, redeemed. While dimmed in memory, what sunk into Cloud more was that he held the truth in his hands of her life, proof she still breathed. She'd almost been a dream to him at times, she'd been so forgotten.

He had gone so very long without a mother, lost so many memories of the heroic woman of his childhood, that having her now made his chest tighten painfully. His closed his eyes briefly, trying to recall her as best as he could.

Her image was unclear to him, her face just a pale shape with blond hair and a soft, rounded body that he only vaguely remembered embracing as a child. Her voice he couldn't remember, though he knew she carried the scent of cooking with her, or sometimes the earth outside from her garden.

He pulled out the second sheet of the letter, the recipe written in her fine, small handwriting. Just looking at the ingredients of the cake reminded him of when he'd been too short to see the top of the counter, how he'd stood on the bathroom stool and helped stir. How the smell wafted all the way up to his room when it finished cooking, and the way he'd practically trip down the stairs as he ran down so fast when the oven's timer went off.

It had been more than a life ago for him. Planet, he even remembered how smeared the words "Happy Birthday" had been when he'd written them himself on his sixth birthday cake. He'd be a better son to his mother. He'd protect her as she had when he was a child.

"Cloud?"

Cloud jerked a bit, forgetting Reno had even been there. His dusty fingerprints were glued to the letter and he tried to rub them off before giving up. He didn't have any water to wash his hands with, and he'd finished off his drinking water since Reno had insisted on getting the hottest chili fries he knew of. Cloud folded both sheets back up then pocketed them before standing up and stretching a bit.

"One more run to the train station?"

Cloud shook out the stiff muscles and eyed the entrance to the dead end. He was closer; he could beat Reno to it if he sprinted. "Sure. Tag, you're it."

* * *

Reeve had returned to his office and didn't realize he'd left his coffee on the table downstairs until he sat back behind his desk. Damn the General. As amazing as the man was, he managed to bring out some of the worst traits in Reeve.

As soon as Reeve surveyed the damage in his office he seriously considered going back down to get his cup. More paperwork had made it into his room in his five-minute absence. He squashed the surge of irritation, and pulled the nearest files to him.

* * *

"I always thought Rude was strange." Cloud's slur was terrible, but Reno didn't seem to have a problem understanding him. When Reno and Cloud got to the train station and realized it was going to be an hour-long wait for the next one up to HQ, Reno had insisted on a drink. Cloud hadn't known he had such low alcohol tolerance until right about now.

"Man, rude is the way of the slums. Ya should know that by now," Reno said companionably, considerably less drunk than Cloud but he was certainly feeling the alcohol.

The bar was low-lit and smoky, music drifting out from hidden speakers and raucous voices rising and lowering in turn. There were some people dancing a ways away, but neither cadet felt much of an inclination to join them. Cloud seemed content to brood, and Reno just wanted more booze.

The Goblin's Bar was a busy place on Saturday night and they were not the only Shinra people there. No other cadets were there, and no one recognized them without their uniforms, but a couple of army regulars were drinking too. Reno had both elbows resting on the bar top, turned to face the room while leaning back on the counter. His face had the cheeky grin of a cocky drunk. Cloud was slumped next to him, his glass held tightly in his hand as he spoke softly to himself, or perhaps speaking to Reno. The redhead wasn't getting much of what he said. He was getting more disappointed Cloud wasn't a wild drunk by the minute. Turned out the blond was a real mope, mumbling about all sorts of random places and people.

"Y'know, I had some of these drinks once – "

"Did you get as piss-ass drunk as you are now?"

Cloud ignored what a curser Reno was when drunk. Cid cursed worse even when he was sober. "And Cid was just – "

"Cid? I am sittin'."

Cloud tried to shake his head in the negative to correct Reno's mistake, but his head started to swim funnily and the bar was beginning to tilt. Maybe they were having an earthquake. Tifa would be really mad if the glasses fell and broke.

"Marlene never liked to sit for long." What was the story he was going to tell?

"I like wild girls too Cloud. Yo, pass that over." Reno snickered as Cloud hazily pushed the glass in his direction. He didn't seem to care the redhead was cutting him off or that Reno had just downed the rest of his drink.

Cloud frowned. He couldn't remember what he wanted to say.

"Turks are bad. They've got no rules. Y'should… watch out."

"I know. Mad crazy ninjas." Reno jumped up and struck a terrible pose, one knee raised in the air, both arms up with his hands hooked. He looked like he was going to make a noise, but he fell off balance first and stumbled into Cloud. The blond socked him in the stomach before he could even balance himself and they both toppled to the floor.

"Man Cloud, go find some whore to sleep with and relax a little. There's a hot barmaid over there." Reno tried to shove him off and point at the same time but didn't realize he was pushing Cloud into the bar. The blond didn't seem to notice though. He was frowning at Reno now, his eyes unfocused from all their drinks.

"Tifa's not a whore."

"Just g'off."

Cloud fell to the side and Reno managed to sit up and reclaim his chair. Cloud warned him to watch Tsurugi before staggering off to the bathroom.

Reno turned to his own half-empty drink glass and picked it up. "Bottoms up to Tsurugi." He drained it in one gulp.

* * *

Cadet bathrooms were communal showers, toilets, and saunas, though the last part hadn't been intentional. The air never really circulated in here, and Cloud tried not to dwell on that. The fact that he'd even made it here was a miracle, especially when Reno passed out on him in the parking lot when they were sneaking back in. Carrying all that dead weight while his stomach was threatening to come back up had not been easy.

The hot water wouldn't last forever, but Cloud just couldn't make himself get out of the shower. He'd never been a fan of drinking, having seen too many people make utter fools out of themselves while under the influence. Cloud had never had much experience with getting drunk himself either—mako helped improve liver function significantly, and considering how much mako Cloud had been enhanced with, it had basically been impossible for him to get drunk for longer than a couple of minutes.

He knew the alcohol was still in his system now though, it was hard not to when the room still spun if he turned too fast, and that he'd wake up tomorrow with a blacksmith hammering in his head, but he wanted this shower now to get rid of the smell. He hoped the steam and heat would help rid the fogginess from his mind.

He stooped down to reach for the soap on the floor, backing up into the cold wall at the same time. The sudden cold on his backside made him jump forward shocked. For a second there it had felt like a hand. He groaned aloud as he realized the image in his head was stuck now, and even with all the drinks a part of him was very interested in this new direction. Cloud hadn't really had the time or the interest—cadets were mere _boys _and he had a lot of other things on his mind—to think about his libido. He'd been, well, busy.

Considering how hard he was already, his body had been silently protesting his abstinence. He'd never been a fan of helping himself, since it generally compounded feelings of loneliness, but Cloud didn't exactly invite people to his bed either, and what was one more sense of isolation on top of all the others?

_Damn it._

He popped his head outside the shower stall, keeping his body as covered as possible as he took a quick scan around. There was no one else in the showers. He was alone, with hot water, sleeping boys a couple hallways away, and a hard on that refused to flag.

Cloud dropped the soap back on the floor and tried to let go of his worries for a second and just relax. The cadet showers weren't the place for a long, drawn-out fantasy—someone else might come in with the same idea—but release was release. And it was certainly more private at two in the morning then any other time. He reached up to tweak a nipple, the buds hardening as he tried to envision someone else doing it to him.

_Just, not him…_

Vincent. Yes, Vincent was a safe image. Vincent didn't have the associations of bad memories or taboo thoughts. He wasn't going to see him in the hallways or at the snack machines. Nor would he have to hear his name at every corner.

Cloud's hand drifted lower, brushing the fine hairs of his stomach down to the base of his shaft. He knew it tickled with another's hand, and his muscles twitched in response to that thought. Cloud tried not to think about how awkwardly childish he felt doing this, or how hundreds of boys had done this here before. He just wanted to focus on his hands, the way they drifted tantalizingly, teasingly along his skin, making him forget for a while more where he was.

It didn't work like that though. It never did. The alcohol wasn't helping as the fantasy got hotter, Cloud's hands groping and cupping and squeezing whatever they could reach. When he closed his eyes he could imagine smoldering ones staring down at him, desire blatant, framed by pale skin and high cheekbones. He couldn't make the eyes change to Vincent's red though, and eventually Cloud stopped trying as he pumped himself harder with his hand.

"Please," he whispered just barely then winced when he realized he'd spoken aloud. His voice was embarrassingly saturated with need, so he clamped his mouth shut and begged with his body as much as his mouth, the cage of his fist tightening just a little around his member.

The memory of the black velvet of his lover's baritone made his breath catch, as he tried to remember it as exactly as possible. He could practically feel the voice speaking against his neck, the rumble in his lean chest as he spoke the command. "Hush." Cloud tried to slow his breathing and quiet it, but he was getting so close, and each pass of his thumb along the sensitive edge of his cock was pushing his limits. This would be embarrassingly short. He'd lost all his control from the start, already given in before he'd even known it.

Cloud was backed up into the wall now, a finger probing at his deepest reach. He couldn't get deep enough, his imaginary lover toying with him. His hair would be like satin, Cloud imagined, and it, not water, would be all around him on all sides, sticking to his waist, his neck, his arms.

His fingers pinched a little too hard, like teeth biting into his nipple and the sudden pain elicited a deep, guttural moan from Cloud that he instantly silenced, remembering that low command. He was climbing and climbing a peak, almost imagining he could feel the body against him rippling with just as much need as his own. This was what he wanted, what he needed.

His free hand became trapped between the cold wall and his back as he pushed back. The sensation of being held down, no matter how fake, was so erotic he fought it, and in his own way asked for more. His imaginary lover did not disappoint. With every buck he was met with an iron wall of resistance, and it quickly became too much.

Cloud didn't cry out as he hit his peak, spots of white and silver in his vision, because the whispered name that escaped was far more damning. He could feel his member spasming as he milked himself for the last before he sagged against the wall. He wished suddenly for a phantom hand to steady him as he sat, but none was forthcoming. The imaginary lover was already gone, and as Cloud predicted, he felt lonelier than before.


	17. Chapter 17

Writer's Note: I've passed the 75,000 hit mark and with this long chapter (longest by about 2,000 words) Green Dreams will be over 100,000 words long! You guys are so utterly wonderful that I wish I knew a better word for it. I need a really old, long, unknown word for it that encompasses all this euphoria and more.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Seventeen (08-11-08)**

Edited: 05-24-10

_Copy room! Score!_

Tonight was a good night, Reno thought. He'd managed to get Cloud totally sloshed, and even though he'd been a boring drunk, after a couple of drinks even Cloud's mumbled and rather slurred stories had been hilarious.

How they'd managed to get back to Shinra, Reno would probably later laugh at. He knew Cloud probably wouldn't remember, but Reno would cherish knowing Cloud could cuss like a pirate. When Reno had gone and 'passed out' in the parking lot, Cloud had quite a few choice words for him and a number of colorful phrases to say about it. Reno knew he tended to curse when he was drunk, but Cloud?

He snorted at remembering it, and the sound echoed strangely in the big room. It bounced around vacantly and Reno shut up fast. He was here to do one thing: prove Cloud wrong.

Evidence, that's what he'd call it. Evidence, that Reno was perfectly capable of sneaking around Shinra Headquarters and doing whatever the hell he wanted, even when a little alcohol got into his system. Proof to Cloud it'd be worth it to answer his question.

At least that's what he'd tell Cloud. Reno was just doing this for the hell of it.

_I could answer my question right now if I had some help. "Plan won't work" my ass._

Reno sniggered immediately at his own pun as he crossed the copy room floor. The tiles was scuffed and scratched by moving copy machines and so many shoes scuffing it all day. Reno had seen the room at its height during the day, and it was like a mosh-pit on drugs.

It was actually a bit eerie to be here in the dead silence of three in the morning, to be for once all alone in this normally unhinged room. Reno wouldn't admit that it freaked him out a little bit, especially with no backup to speak of, but he had to do it anyway. He'd even do one better and not even let that small uncertainty show.

_That's what courage is: being the only one who knows you're scared shitless._

With that sarcastic thought he headed over to the least abused copy machine in the room. This one didn't have any paint chipping or unreadable buttons yet and looked sturdy enough to hold his weight. Reno hit the green power button and waited for it to warm up as he looked around.

The copy machines were scattered about and quite battered. He winced at the thought of all those Shinra secretaries and interns. The papers that were normally kicked around and dirtied on the floor had been swept up, and the place almost looked strange and a lot bigger when it wasn't inhabited.

The machine hummed to wakefulness, though its parts inside groused loudly at being woken. It sounded ten years older than it was, and Reno had the sudden irrational thought it wouldn't hold him. He hardened back in a second though. Damn thing would just have to make do.

He hadn't put on too much weight since coming here. The food was too gross to eat a lot of.

Reno popped open the lid and took a surreptitious glance around. If there were security cameras here they'd get an eyeful, but at the moment he didn't care if someone in some room across the compound saw him. Whatever. He'd get a slap on the wrist and have to clean the bathroom. Big deal.

And just like that he unbuckled and unzipped his pants and dropped them, then pulled his boxers down to his knees and hopped up onto the copier. It was more difficult than he'd anticipated, especially with his pants tangled around his feet and his boxers around his knees, but he made due. A bruised kneecap was the only casualty as he hit the machine when he jumped up.

Just as he'd firmly planted his bottom on the platen and hit the button to copy did he realize there was someone standing in the doorway.

It was a large silhouette, easily taller than Reno and quite a bit broader. As he took a couple of steps closer Reno could tell the cut of the suit was fine and he fit it like a glove. Tailor-made clothes always meant grievance with Shinra. The heavy footfalls meant a good weight, and just from the way he was walking Reno knew he could take care of himself.

_Shit, this wasn't security._

The blue suit gave him away as the far end lights were flicked on.

There weren't a lot of people with that dark skin tone, and Reno's eyes were immediately drawn to it. He was perfectly bald with a small goatee and two earrings in his right ear, but otherwise unmarked and his face unmoving. It was neither cold nor tense, just blank.

Even though Reno couldn't see his eyes behind the sunglasses, there was something altogether unfriendly about his gaze. It lingered on Reno's position, still with his pants down seated on the now unmoving copier. He hadn't even noticed his copy of his ass was done. He was gaping a little before Reno's trademark brash cockiness kicked back in—if a little weakly.

_Sunglasses? Indoors? Trying to be a badass the wrong way._

Considering the way the man was eyeing Reno's position, he knew he'd be in for trouble though, no matter how little Reno thought of the guy's sunglasses look. Deciding to get out before the linebacker of a man tackled him and shot Reno's temporary confidence through the foot, Reno sat up straight and gave the newcomer his most mischievous grin.

Just to thoroughly give the middle finger to Shinra authority, Reno hit the button again and let the machine scan his ass one more time. He would have stuck his tongue out, but being a rebel and being a kid about it never worked as well as it sounded.

He hopped down from the machine when the copier's light flicked off, taking extra care not to act the least bit self-conscious that he'd just flashed a man who probably had a gun on him. With a half-assed salute he pulled up his pants and did up his belt again, making sure he didn't even look at the man as he did so. _Gotta play the fool sometimes._

With a jaunty wave and an extra strut in his step, Reno headed for the door. He passed within a foot of the guy, and Reno's heart skipped two beats as he did it. He couldn't help peeking out of the corner of his eye as he passed. The man's dark eyes had slid over to watch him, even behind the sunglasses his eyes were guarded. Reno wasn't sure what to think, so he kept walking rather than mull over it. Just as he got to the door, and almost home free to where he could start running before the guy came after him, a shadow fell across the threshold.

Reno's face almost fell until he realized who it was.

_Fuck._

He kept the litany of curses in his head even as he approached the latest arrival at the door. The newest one gave no response, merely watching him in silence, his face similarly devoid of expression. He reminded Reno a bit of a mafia leader with all the big guys—like Mr. Linebacker there—backing him up when he himself didn't look all that scary. Then again, that was before they'd ever really met. By now his leadership was well ingrained in Reno and he knew better than to push the line. But the familiar stance and the almost regal mien belied what Reno knew: that he was more lenient than he let on sometimes. Still, this didn't look to be one of those moments from his heavy stare, which was a little creepy. Reno hid the discomfort and uncomfortable sense of walking the edge of a knife under another brilliant grin and a saucy wink, making sure to shake his ass a little more as he turned away.

Take that Tseng.

The moment he turned the next corner he was sprinting.

* * *

"Desperate for porn, Rude?"

The larger man didn't respond, though he did put the butt-print down on top of the copier, hitting the off button as he did so. Rude's eyes didn't linger on the rounded image, already putting the delinquency behind him. Tseng looked thoughtfully at the print but didn't say anything else as he left. Rude shook his head and tossed the copies into the trash on his way out.

_Juveniles…

* * *

_

When he woke up, he knew he should have just gone back to sleep.

Cloud blearily sat up in the chaos of the room, the noise a thundering drum pounding out of synch with his head. The alcohol had shot his natural alarm for four AM and everyone else was awake by now.

_Oh yeah… the alcohol._

Just thinking about last night was enough to make the hammering in his head worsen. The hangover he was sporting was phenomenal, and Cloud could only remember a headache this bad when a bandersnatch had knocked him out for a couple of minutes once. And even then there'd been something to kill in revenge. This time it was Reno's fault, and looking at him over the mayhem, the blasted redhead didn't even seem to be suffering like he was. The hangover, on top of the usual crap he felt after his nightmares, was enough to completely ruin his day before it even began.

Through the chaos of the room Reno was difficult to see. Boys were running around frantically, pushing things under the beds, stuffing something into their pillows, shouting to each other and generally making the loudest ruckus Cloud thought he'd ever heard. He didn't even want to know what was going on. With a hangover everything was ten million times worse.

"Cloud! Hide your stuff! They could be coming anytime! Barker got caught with some bad stuff and you know they'll have our hides if someone here has some too!" Dan's panicky voice was hardly coherent above the roaring of Cloud's head. Cloud tried to tell Dan to get away from him and to just _shut the hell up_ but Reno popped into existence just inches in front of him.

"Aspirin Cloud?"

The blond didn't even thank him until he'd pop the pills and swallowed them dry. His voice was scratchy and still fairly thick from sleep. "What's going on?"

Reno's open mouth shut as another boy came tumbling into their room. Cloud knew he was in the bunker but couldn't put a name to the face. "SECONDS ARE COMING!"

Curses sprung out everywhere and the bunker was filled with even more frenzied activity than before. Dan looked like a chicken with its head cut off, hollering at people to move and trying to peel back some of the concrete wall to hide something. Several people had found a loose ceiling tile and were pushing bags of suspicious looking pills and needles in it. Cloud was still fumbling to understand why SOLDIERs were coming here and why people were panicking, but Reno seemed to know just fine.

"You're clear, right Cloud?" He looked only mildly concerned, more amused at the situation.

"Clear?" Reno's good humor wasn't contagious. He didn't seem to be suffering at all, much to the annoyance of Cloud.

"For drugs. You know, 'performance-enhancing' and all that." Reno's disgust at them was evident with the little quotations he made with his fingers.

Cloud frowned at him. Of course he didn't do anything like that. Mako was notorious for not mixing well with a lot of chemicals, and some drugs and mako made a really nasty cocktail. It had been known to mutate people before and that was the least of some of the side effects.

Not that Cloud was supposed to know that.

"No." Cloud frowned with disapproval at the thought of taking drugs to essentially cheat. They were both bad in his books, but drugs were a far more permanent way to get an edge and far more dangerous. After all that Cloud had been through, he was incredibly wary about drugs and more than a little suspicious of them.

Reno nodded at the finality of that. Before he could get a word in Dan came rushing back over, flailing his arms around and generally working himself up even more. He looked like the world was coming to an end and Cloud didn't find it funny.

"Can I hide some stuff in your pillow case Cloud? Some guys from bunker C lent it to me to hold and I think it might not be completely legal. I'm outta room on my side." Dan almost looked on the verge of tears. The kid probably had no idea what anyone handed him.

Reno wasn't the least bit sympathetic though. "No way. You'll get Cloud in just as much trouble. Stuff it in your mattress and smooth it out and hope to the Planet nobody notices." Dan gave Reno a final look, anger warring with gratitude, before darting back to his bunk to do just that.

The crazy movements of everyone in the room comically froze as the door was kicked in. A SOLDIER's work, no doubt.

"Cadets of the SOLDIER program!" The main guy up front was a big Second Class SOLDIER, huge in both stature and voice. People around the room were petrified, faces slack with fear. This obviously wasn't someone you messed with. "It has come to our attention that some of the cadets have been abusing performance-enhancing drugs and similar substances. The illegal substances have been traced back here to this bunker. In order to clean out this mess, everyone is to be escorted upstairs while the room is thoroughly swept. Anyone who disobeys those orders or refuses to cooperate is out!"

And so the siege began.

Cloud wasn't even dressed yet, but all the sleepiness in him had fled at the sight of four Second Class SOLDIERs and their officer storming into the bunker. _This _had never happened before.

The entire bunker was dragged down the hall with their SOLDIER entourage. Not that any of these cadets were particularly dangerous, but the escort was there so no one bolted. It was like a walk of shame, where other cadets popped their heads out open doors, crowding to get a look at both the SOLDIERs in full uniform looking menacing and their prisoners. Their jeering faces and the whispers didn't really bother Cloud as much as how bad this situation was.

This didn't happen before, and that frightened Cloud a little more than he thought possible. He was walking blind. Not that he had anything to really be afraid of—he certainly didn't have any drugs on him or in him—but still, the novelty of this episode wouldn't be forgotten. It could affect his future career in SOLDIER and get him into a lot of trouble with the higher ups.

And that could start a domino effect Cloud didn't even want to consider. To say the least, he'd have to revise his plan for SOLDIER if he didn't make it on account of drugs. This would likewise mean he'd lose Zack over distance, since he wouldn't stay in Midgar to be in the regulation army, lose Sephiroth before he even knew him, and be forced to do things from a lower level of power—both physical and social. The worry if this would really damage him in the future settled in the back of his mind.

Shinra looked down on illegal activity, especially since it basically wrote the laws, but much of the company secretly encouraged those exact activities from behind closed doors. SOLDIER wasn't like that though. They were a far more closely-knit group, and there were some things that just weren't accepted. Drugs were among those.

Cloud had known from Zack how important fighting was to SOLDIER. Challenges were hard to come by unless someone had leave to go to the roughest places on the planet and kill some of the powerful beasts there, so within Shinra fighting was a highly coveted sport. SOLDIERs could really only find challenges from other SOLDIERs, so any advantage other than natural ones (excluding mako) were heavily frowned upon. Not only could it get someone in legal trouble, but he'd also never make SOLDIER with that reputation. Getting in to SOLDIER on your own two feet was probably the biggest unwritten rule in Shinra.

Of course, none of Cloud's bunkmates had gotten that memo, and somehow his own bunker had been the drug dealer's stash hold. Cloud hoped it just meant forking over a little blood to clear his name, but considering what the room they just entered looked like, that didn't seem likely.

The eight boys were grouped together and lead into an unmarked, completely empty room. It looked like it could have been some sort of storage room, without windows and just one lone light bulb. It was cramped and bound to get hot with so many people in it, and Cloud was annoyed at how SOLDIER was toying with them. Reno next to him was watching the other boys with interest and not a little glee. He must have been clean too for him to be so happy.

"Think they'll take us out back to the firing squad Dan?" Reno nudged the shaking boy, almost causing him to stumble.

"Shut up Reno." Cloud grumbled under his breath as the SOLDIERs left the room with their first hostage in hand. The other seven boys in the room were left alone then, and murmurs broke out after the first couple of minutes in the thickening silence.

People were beginning to panic.

Cloud had been around enough mobs to recognize herd mentality when he saw it. Shinra gathered mobs in nearly every town, and though most were put down before they got crazy, it was still a frightening thing to see. This wasn't really the time for the memories to come back, but Cloud knew he'd often been on the 'other side' of the mob. Not the place anyone really wanted to be.

The tight little room seemed to grow smaller as people shuffled around. No one had any idea what to expect, so the tension built up more as they theorized, imagined and began to get hysterical together.

And hysteria was always multiplied in groups.

Reno's quiet egging it on wasn't helping at all. A couple of innocent comments (or not so innocent) would be enough to snap the already dangerously nervous Dan, which would cause a domino effect. Combined with a small, empty room and no information whatsoever, Shinra had probably planned this.

Reno was being more of a Turk than usual, SOLDIER was being more ingenious than usual, and Shinra was letting everyone get away with it because it was well, Shinra.

And Cloud was pretty sure he was feeling more fear than nervousness right now. His stomach had stopped roiling with nausea and instead fluttered with anxiety. It wasn't an improvement, even with the headache already fading. Cloud couldn't wait for this to end.

He was clean and he knew it, but that didn't make him feel all that better. Dan may have asked to hide something in his things, but most guys wouldn't do that and Cloud knew someone could have slipped something under his mattress while he was dead to the world. His sleep was far deeper than usual—just his luck—and if someone was covert about it, there could be something under his bed he wasn't aware of. Not only had he been drunk, he'd been exhausted too. Cloud couldn't rely on Reno to have kept it all at bay because he'd been just as drunk as Cloud last night, so he had been probably as far gone too.

Cloud clamped down on the tide of emotions before he lost himself. He was human too and was just responding to the constricting atmosphere. One guy looked on the verge of tears, and Cloud knew he'd probably be the next one taken out. Slowly eating the numbers away without telling anyone where they were going or what happened to them. Without knowing if anyone else confessed or pointed fingers, the noose was tightening around all of their necks. Somebody would cave.

"Clever huh." Cloud said it more to himself, but Reno must have overheard him.

"Panic 'til they talk. Guess SOLDIER's more than just brawn." Reno was positively beaming. "Knew I joined for a reason."

The door swung open with two SOLDIERs standing in the doorway, effectively blocking any sight of the hallway. The officer up front opened his mouth, but instead of pulling out the guy in tears, Dan was called out.

Cloud watched in mild confusion as Dan was walked out with a SOLDIER at his side. He hadn't really expected that, but maybe they were waiting for more guys to succumb first. Dan _did _look like he was going to hyperventilate soon.

The wait was longer this time, and the anxiety in the room spiked with it. Just as Cloud was becoming convinced the breaking point was coming, the door opened again.

_Uh oh._

This time a _First Class SOLDIER _was at the door. And he looked just as unhappy to see them as Cloud did to see him.

_This is really bad._

"Cloud Strife. Reno… Reno."

The redhead didn't snicker or comment. Cloud knew he was probably just as nervous as him. No matter how bad Reno might have been under the plate, he'd probably never had SOLDIERs boring down on him like this before, especially ones at this level.

They were escorted out of the room with a small contingent of SOLDIERs, though Cloud figured they were more for the intimidation factor than anything else. Maybe they were off-duty and needed something to do. Scaring cadets had to be more fun than the usual training exercises.

As much as Cloud tried to make himself feel better, he knew he was giving in to his nerves. This was just too serious. Maybe there was more than just performance-enhancing drugs in the bunker? What, a bomb?

His legs had goose bumps on them and he tried to tell himself it was from the cold. He was only in his t-shirt and boxers from last night, without shoes even, and the hallways were heavily air conditioned here. Cloud didn't feel as self-conscious as much as he felt fearful. Not that he could have done anything to these SOLDIERs, but he always felt more comfortable with armor and a weapon on him.

Reno was better off than Cloud was; at least he had more than just sleepwear on. He'd managed to get on a pair of pants before being dragged out the door and his hair had been pulled back. With his usual sarcasm and a little early-morning bite, his words could be sharp as Vincent's with the right encouragement.

"Cadet Reno and Cadet Strife." They were stopped together at the end of the hall. To Reno's left were the elevators, one normal and one glass. On Cloud's right was another door at the end of the hall, devoid of all decoration. There was something intimidating about seeing a solid metal door on a carpeted and otherwise normal hallway that gave Cloud the chills.

"Several of your members have pointed to you as close friends of Daniel Gavish. You'll be interviewed and tested separately from the others."

Cloud couldn't see Reno's face without completely turning, so he settled for focusing on calming his own rising fear. Of course, somebody would rat and Dan was a perfect choice since nobody was overly fond of him to begin with. Top that with something really illegal and this was inevitable.

He did feel bad for Dan. The poor boy had been asking for it with his attitude and naiveté, but it didn't mean Cloud didn't have sympathy. He could understand the peer pressure as a cadet to help out others, especially with his own ingenuous past. Still, Cloud felt mildly annoyed that it was a _friend_ that had landed him in such a volatile situation. Moments like this reminded him of why he had so few.

The groups split, with Reno going to the elevators and Cloud to the metal door. As they approached it, it buzzed to be opened, and Cloud knew Dan must have had something _really_ bad.

The room inside was a standard interrogation room. One desk set facing the wall opposite the door with a stiff wooden chair in front of it. Classic to keep a prisoner's back to the door to unconsciously reiterate that he had no power. The walls were concrete without any markings, just nails set in at even intervals marking it as some kind of powerful steel and definitely soundproof.

Cloud noticed too how the desk and chair were both nailed to the floor and how the door was actually reinforced steel triggered to open only by a control panel somewhere else. Most likely behind one of the blank walls on either side, one of which he knew was probably a one-way mirror for viewing purposes. He'd seen rooms like these in Meteor's remains.

Cloud had done his own fair share of interrogations and had suffered some of his own, but he'd never had the psychological set up before this stage. It was clearly intended to crack him faster.

And it was working.

He hadn't been self-conscious before, but somehow this room made him distinctly aware of his lack of clothing. He had his skin and cotton covering him, with no shoes against the cold floor. He felt naked and prone to attack, a feeling Cloud had not revisited in years and one he knew he hated.

His stomach was finally settling, enough that he didn't feel nauseous anymore. His headache though had come back. The room was too tight, too plain, too much like a prison cell for his comfort and he wasn't sure if the throbbing in his skull was from his hangover or something else.

One SOLDIER detached himself from the group at the door and led Cloud over to the chair. The blond felt like he should be shackled or something, at the very least handcuffed to the desk leg, but no restraints were given. The SOLDIERs retreated and he was left in the room alone.

* * *

Zack flopped down on to one of the plastic seats before the window. Cloud was sitting stiffly at the table in the interrogation room, looking nervous and clearly trying to hide it. Zack gave him points for trying.

"Any bets Seph?"

The General didn't respond, merely watched Cloud carefully. Zack shrugged at his silence and slouched into his seat as much as possible. It was technically a posture chair, but he managed to get around that.

There were two other men in the room. One was the control officer for the interrogation room. He controlled the door and the lighting along with the temperature. Nothing too strong would be needed here, but he was probably bored and wanted something to do. He sat back to wait, completely ignoring the three SOLDIERs behind him. Next to Zack and standing by the General was Kunsel, usually a foreign duty SOLDIER who was conveniently back in Midgar this week. He was Zack's old friend and a trusted officer of Sephiroth's.

"You sure you don't want to back out now Kunsel?"

Kunsel turned to look at Zack, a smirk on his tan face and his copper hair all mussed up. "Ha! Like I'd lose to you Zack. I'll just bark a bit, no bite, and I'm sure we'll see who's right." He winked cheerily at Zack.

"Just know that I warned ya." Zack threw in cheekily, "Don't take him nearly as lightly as he looks."

Kunsel was a SOLDIER Second, stationed on Mideel and at the cusp of the SOLDIER First level, though was unable to become one. He made up for it though with his general Turkish-ness. Zack was glad Kunsel wasn't a Turk as he'd told the man before, but Kunsel just laughed in response. He didn't seem that opinionated either way.

Kunsel was second in command of all foreign duty SOLDIERs on Mideel, in Fort Condor, and on the surrounding islands. That was his official job at least. He reported back to Zack, and therefore Sephiroth, on various events in the area, along with the three First Class SOLDIERs on the field and they're lieutenants. Within SOLDIER there was more loyalty to the General than to Shinra, and sometimes reports to the brass were "edited" whereas the ones that landed on the General's desk were not. Kunsel was among those who reported back without omission, essentially one of the many spades in the General's pocket.

Since he was back in Midgar, Zack had called an old favor of him.

Zack never thought for a second Cloud had anything to do with performance-enhancing drugs. Still, it was unfortunate his bunker was implemented in the crime, and even worse Cloud's friend had been the biggest holder of them in their room. Kunsel was an established interrogator since the war, and Zack knew the guy could be trusted with Cloud. The General had already assigned Kunsel to do one anyway if an interrogation was needed, so Zack liked to think he hadn't really done anything he shouldn't have.

Sephiroth's disapproving look had been worth the bet he'd made with Kunsel. Zack's friend had no idea what he was getting himself into. Even if Cloud didn't make an intimidating picture with his wild, bed-ridden hair and pajamas, Zack pegged him as formidable and wouldn't back down from it.

"Daunting, huh Zack? At least he doesn't have chocobos on his pajamas." Kunsel had one of his famous wide grins, all teeth and dimples.

Zack pretended to look affronted at the thought and punched Kunsel in the arm for the comment. "Stop belittling my cadet."

"Thought you were gonna say chocobo there for a second, Zack." Kunsel was still snickering, but this time Zack took a shot at the man's kidney. "Hey hey hey, low blow." He put his hands up in mock surrender. "I'll lay off, I get it."

Zack snorted but let it drop. Kunsel would get his comeuppance soon.

The General left not long after coming in. He had to make rounds to where the other boys were. Drug abuse, especially performance-enhancing ones, was a serious issue in the army, but more so in SOLDIER. The other boys weren't interrogated, just threatened with the consequences. The drugs however… their origin would have to be located.

It didn't really need supervision, but Sephiroth needed to stretch his legs anyway and Zack knew he would take any legitimate chance to get out of the office. That, and now he needed to pop in on all of Reno, Cloud and see the results of Daniel Gavish's interviews. Gavish's would probably be fairly quick, but the redhead might cause trouble. Not that Zack thought Tseng couldn't handle him, but the Turk would draw it out for fun. Bastard. He just wanted to delay SOLDIER even more for the hell of it. Zack smiled though as he thought it. Tseng was good at what he did but he had a twisted sense of humor to match.

Well, Sephiroth would be coming by later and hopefully Kunsel would be quick and painless. Still, if he wanted to do this interrogation his way Zack wished he'd brought popcorn.

* * *

The door buzzed and Cloud fought the sudden urge to flinch as a doctor walked around the side of the desk to him. He had the generic white coat with a bland smile on his face in front of an unreadable expression. There was some relief it wasn't Hojo, but the sight of the needle was enough to make Cloud break out in a sweat. He dug his fingers into his legs to focus on something else, grinding his teeth as the technician went to work. Cloud looked away towards the opposite wall as blood was drawn into a needle. He focused as hard as he could on the cracks and holes, trying to imagine how much teasing he'd get from Zack when this was all over.

When the scientist was gone, it was just Cloud and one other man.

He was clearly a SOLDIER, top notch no doubt although he wore a nonspecific uniform that could mean he was of any rank. He was fairly handsome and probably had his nose broken on several occasions from what Cloud could tell of his profile. He had burnished-gold hair, maybe not as tall as Zack, though he was leaner, built for speed. Cloud had never seen him before, but the man's hard attitude was already coming across. His arms were across his chest, biceps flexed enough to draw attention to harsh looking tattoo of a hook, and he was looking down at the seated Cloud with a mixture of boredom and vague arrogance.

Cloud instantly disliked him, though his expression didn't show it. His hangover might be painful, but antagonizing the interrogator could put him in for far worse than that. The consequences of a bad interview here could be very far reaching.

"Cloud Strife… country boy from nowhere. Let's be frank. Gavish's supply of drugs was too large for him to work alone with. Were you associated with his 'business'?"

"No." Cloud met his eyes flatly, refusing to be afraid. He didn't move his gaze even as he rubbed a bit of crust away from the corner of his eye.

"I'm inclined to disagree."

Cloud stayed silent. There was no response to that other than a repeated no.

The interrogator didn't look away, but he moved faster than Cloud's sight, suddenly leaning over the desk, invading his personal space in seconds. Cloud flinched before he even realized it. Knowing that was what the man was going for, he tried to relax a bit and pushed a bit of hair away from his face.

_Enhanced speed. Trying to scare me into submission._

"You knew about the drugs at the very least. And instead of reporting it like a good boy you kept your silence. Or maybe you even let them buy it. Am I right?" He had a really confrontational tone to his voice that just begged to be argued with. Cloud did his best to be immune to it, though a small part of him dearly wanted to put this guy in his place.

"No."

Here the interrogator's hands held the other side of the desk as he leaned back from Cloud, perhaps contemplating his next move. There was something incredibly conceited about his whole stance. "Then you actually helped in the trading of them?"

"No."

The interrogator looked mildly annoyed at the short responses. Cloud didn't show how much that pleased him and neither did he look away. There was plenty of temptation too; the man's glowing green eyes were a small reminder of everything Cloud had lived with.

"Were you associated or not?"

"I wasn't." He shifted his feet to rest against the legs of the chair. The sudden cold felt good on his hot body. The tension was getting to him even as he denied it.

"But you are now."

"No." He licked his lips and resisted the urge to cross his arms defensively. That could be a real tell in interrogation and a sign of lying. Cloud only wanted to cross them as some kind of unconscious defense against the accusations the interrogator was making.

Rapid-fire questions. Cloud's voice echoed as he responded to the increasing volume with his own voice rising to match it.

"Where did he get the drugs from?"

"I don't know."

"Who did he sell them to?"

"I don't know."

"Who else used them?"

"I don't know."

"What kind of edge were you looking for by using drugs?"

"I didn't use drugs!"

"Do you know that drugs like those are illegal in Shinra?"

"Yes!"

"You know that it will end your career here if you use them!"

"Yes!"

"Do you use them?"

"_No!"_

"_You don't deserve to be in SOLDIER!"_

Cloud didn't respond to the last one, his stunned silence more than enough. That was a hard blow and the interrogator knew it. He smiled then, and it was a little sinister as he voiced dropped back down.

"You were weaker than your classmates so you resorted to drugs."

"No!" Cloud almost shouted that one. It reverberated in the room and the SOLDIER's smug look made Cloud's face flush with rage. Weakness wasn't something Cloud coped well with anymore. He could feel insecurity about himself creeping up, the ever-lingering fears that mako was the only thing that made him strong, and he ruthlessly shoved it away. Mako didn't equal a great strategy in battle or the ability to keep others alive, but the interrogator had hit the underlying weakness.

It hadn't even been conscious, and Cloud felt stupid as soon as he realized he'd given in to that trick. Great emotion caused great slips, and the interrogator had obviously been looking for the nerve. He'd hit it too, but Cloud was above this game. He knew what the interrogator was up to now.

Seeing this change, the interrogator's green eyes became much sharper than before. Cloud hoped there wasn't a deeper motive to getting him to confess to having drugs, because it didn't look like this was slowing down any time soon.

"Then what do you call that jump in ability, Cloud?" His hands, clenched around the edge of the desk, were actually wearing holes into it in the shape of his fingers. The smirk playing at his lips when Cloud's eyes darted to the white-knuckled grip meant he knew what he was doing too. It was an unspoken threat.

_I could crush you with my hands._

Cloud, his eyes lingering on the slowly bending metal of the table—a feat he'd once been able to do without thought—brought to mind a ludicrous idea:

Telling the interrogator. Spilling the whole story about the time traveling and the Planet's part in all this. They'd definitely think he was on drugs then, talking about how he'd killed the greatest swordsman in the world and never been happy about it, how he'd saved the world from Hojo and Shinra, how the triplets had run amok and how suddenly he'd woken up sixteen again and completely alone, forced to start over.

Cloud only entertained it for a couple of seconds, actually finding the thought rather funny. The interrogator's expression—surprise and disbelief—might be worth it at the beginning, but getting kicked out of Shinra for "mental instability" wouldn't.

Cloud must have paused too long because the interrogator launched right in again.

"Tell me the drugs had something to do with it!" His hands broke off the desk and actually took chunks with it. Cloud was hit with some of the debris and he knew this guy had to be First or Second class if he was strong enough to do that. Cloud actually felt a small sting of fear. He knew it was irrational, but it didn't help that Cloud knew how easy it was for the enhanced to hurt regular civilians—and from personal experience too.

"They didn't." It was a little weaker than Cloud had hoped it sounded.

The interrogator's lips twitched up for just a moment, but he hid the feral grin. It was enough though to told Cloud he'd caught that slip. Guess he wasn't an interrogator for nothing. "Then what did Cloud?"

His voice was soft, hardly a whisper, and Cloud had to lean forward slightly to hear it. He knew this wasn't going anywhere good but if he didn't cooperate things would be far worse.

"Zack?"

Cloud flinched.

"Ah… Zack Fair. With some favors, is that it? For… service, you got help and maybe more, is that it?" His voice rose again at the end, an innocent look about him that clashed horribly with the picture he painted. Cloud was frozen in his seat, horrified and nearly seeing red at the accusations.

"N-no." It came out more choked than he intended, but there was a hot bubble of rage in his stomach at the thought that was cutting off his words. _Favors? Him? With _Zack_?_

"No? You're not protecting anyone Cloud." That struck another nerve, this one worst than the last. Cloud and Zack's relationship was a sensitive topic and everyone had treaded carefully around that issue for years with him. Even the most graceless of bastards—Cid for one—knew better than to poke that topic. And to imply Cloud wasn't guarding anybody when that was all he was trying to do was really souring this interrogation fast.

He couldn't believe this guy!

Cloud's fists were clenched under the table and he wanted to lash out and hit the interrogator so bad his nails were about to draw blood. What did he know about him and Zack? How dare he imply Cloud slept with other men to get something from them? What did he know about Cloud at all? There are some lines, even in interrogation, that shouldn't get crossed, and for Cloud that was one of them.

"There's nothing. I have nothing to do with the drugs and Zack isn't related to this." He spat out the words more harshly than he originally meant, but he relished in the silence it brought. That was his stance and this guy had nothing on it.

The response was in a smooth, even voice, saturated in malice. "I think Fair is related. In fact, he might even be a source. Some of Gavish's stash was laced with mako. Now where would he get that if not through a 'friend' of his?" The interrogator looked like the cat with the cream at this and his overbearing confidence was really setting Cloud's ire off.

"I. Don't. Know." He ground out the words, tightly leashed anger in every one of them. The interrogator's answering smile wasn't as full as it could be and Cloud knew he was getting to the man.

* * *

"Damn, did you see Kunsel's face in the beginning? You missed it Seph, Cloud threw him for a real loop."

Zack leaned back in his chair smiling stupidly at the ongoing proceedings. Kunsel's words and Cloud short responses were loud in the background.

The General stood by the window having come in to watch as Cloud's fists tightened under the table. Kunsel had hit a nerve by bringing up Zack.

"I didn't think Kunsel would go that low, but he can't exactly play good cop/bad cop this late in the game." Sephiroth didn't respond, his focus still on the vividly furious boy. Cloud seemed to take poorly to the idea of sleeping around for favors and Kunsel was hoping to draw something out of that anger. Not only that, he'd been briefed on Cloud and seen his profile. The General had hinted that Cloud's sudden change of grades was of mild concern to him too.

Sephiroth knew Kunsel took Zack's opinion to heart and from what he'd heard Cloud didn't seem the type to use drugs for an edge. Sephiroth agreed on that point, even when taking into account Cloud's abrupt change, but the interrogation had to be thorough nonetheless.

"I think he's really pissed Cloud off now." Instead of sounding pleased to see Kunsel take some heat as Sephiroth expected, Zack looked concerned and he left his chair to stand with him. "See his white face. Total shut down."

Sephiroth looked back over in surprise. Cloud had gone from noxiously angry to cold. His eyes watched Kunsel as he spoke, but he didn't respond with anything longer than a flat no. Kunsel tried a different tactic, weaving questions together that required more than two word answers, but if it got too complicated Cloud sat silently, relentless and frigid. It was… disturbing to see. And out of character as far as Sephiroth knew.

Zack wasn't laughing now as Kunsel glanced discreetly at the one-way mirror. He was clearly as surprised by this turn of events as everyone else. Cloud had been stoic before, tolerant to what was happening, but now this unemotional blank was a little scary. Cloud had gotten defensive before, but not like this.

Kunsel was winding down now. The blood work would come back soon and they'd have results to match this against. With a nod from the General, the buzzer sounded and Kunsel left the room. Cloud was left staring stiffly at the wall, unmoving.

Zack turned to greet Kunsel grimly as he entered the booth. "General, Zack." He nodded to them both. He was smiling slightly. "You weren't kidding Zack, he really isn't like the outside package."

Kunsel didn't look happy for long though. Zack turned to look back out at Cloud who was being escorted back out. Cloud was staring at the one-way mirror, almost like he could see through it and right at them. Zack was a little thankful Cloud's stare wasn't directed at him, but out of the corner of his eye the SOLDIER noticed the hairs on Kunsel's arm rising. Cloud was glaring right at him.

Zack visibly shivered. _Weird._

"I wasn't expecting that at all." Zack turned back to Kunsel confused and it looked for a moment like he'd had a chill. Sephiroth watched the interaction from the sidelines, contemplating as he watched Cloud leave from the corner of his eye.

"You laughed when I went in aggressive, but he _does_ look effeminate. He got angry when I brought up sleeping around, but it wasn't like that." Kunsel leaned back against the wall in a casual pose, waving his hand in the air to dismiss the tense atmosphere. He wasn't completely convincing.

"No, it wasn't." Zack agreed, looking back into the interrogation room to where Cloud had been sitting. "I've never seen him cut off like that, just BAM, cold. That's Sephiroth territory, not Cloud's."

Sephiroth didn't react to that comment. He privately agreed with him.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out Zack. He's just a boy. There's only so much that could have caused that. Maybe you remind him of a friend or his father or something, and making a slur on you is like a slur on him?"

Kunsel didn't look particularly convinced of his own logic, and Zack looked a little ill at the thought.

* * *

Zack and Kunsel left the observation room in strange moods. Sephiroth didn't have a word to classify it, but he hoped it faded in time. Zack would be unbearable if he didn't sort himself out soon. Kunsel at least didn't spend hours at a time with Sephiroth, but the quandary Cloud possessed would probably eat him alive. Kunsel had always liked puzzles a little too much.

Still, Sephiroth wanted to get to the bottom of it before this got out of hand.

He pulled the screen closed for the one-way mirror and stepped out of the room a moment later, dismissing the control technician as he left. The man turned off the controls and left after buzzing the interview room open. He headed down the corridor while Sephiroth exited into the hallway and looped back to the reinforced steel door.

A burly SOLDIER had just stepped out of the room with Strife in tow when the General addressed him by name. "Grant, leave Cadet Strife there one moment. I'll have a word with him."

Grant stiffened a little in surprise. Sephiroth ignored it for the moment. The Second Class SOLDIER walked Cloud back inside the room to the desk and seated him again, then held the door open for the General. "Knock when you'd like to be buzzed out, sir."

Sephiroth nodded before entering the room.

Cloud Strife was seated with his back to the door, his hair spiked up in all directions, still tussled from sleep. He had a thin grey t-shirt on and boxers; Sephiroth could see his bare legs and feet from under the chair. His heels didn't quite touch the floor.

The General took his time perusing the boy, knowing the only thing watching him was the camera in the far corner, and even that was turned off. Strife was of a short stature, leaner than Zack with broad shoulders and a narrower waist. He was hardly intimidating in his pajamas, but his cold demeanor, though lessened now, still gave the area around him a frosty quality.

"Cloud Strife."

The boy didn't jump as expected, didn't even flinch. Sephiroth refused to be impressed.

He kept up a steady pace as he walked from side to side behind the boy, making sure to stay only on the edge of his peripheral vision. Not seeing the demon was far more frightening than the actual sight, were his self-depreciating thoughts.

"You have been charged with potential smuggling, drug-use and the sale of illegal drugs."

Strife didn't move or even twitch. It barely even looked like he was breathing. Sephiroth didn't doubt the boy had heard him.

"Do you maintain your position?"

There was a hesitation before he spoke. Whether out of fear, a lie, or something else, Sephiroth didn't know. "Yes."

It wasn't a man's voice, but not that of a boy either. And that was exactly what Cloud was. Something in between established norms, and it irked Sephiroth now more than ever as he more fully realized it. Cloud was an enigma and that bothered the General. He certainly hadn't been anything extraordinary up until recently. So why now? Kunsel had gotten no where when he'd tried to hit at that particularly issue.

He came to a stop, just centimeters behind Cloud, the boy's head level with his stomach in his seated position. He heard the catch in Cloud's breath and could see the increased pulse rate in the boy's wrist, the blood pumping frantically under his pale skin.

Sephiroth wasn't sure what he wanted out of this boy. He only knew that he'd been a persistent niggling in the back of his mind that had been ignored for some time. He had a prime chance to see if he could unravel some of it now, but the General wasn't sure how to go about it.

Still, that never stopped him. He did what he thought might work, regardless of how it might be viewed. He'd always functioned like that. His instincts were still well honed even after the war and he liked to keep his claws sharp. Even Cloud Strife couldn't change that.

Besides, he had every right to do this; after all, a Turk was doing the other interrogation.

Sephiroth leaned over Cloud, catching both of the boy's wrists and pinning them to the table, hands splayed. Using his superior mass and weight, he flattening the cadet's palms onto the desk, his chin brushing the sides of those golden spikes as his hair pooled around them. Cloud's skin felt clammy but smooth, and he could feel the outline of the tight muscles in his lower arms and hands. His hair smelled just like the cheap shampoo made and distributed by Shinra but was quite soft.

This close to Strife, Sephiroth could detect any lie—the faintest hint of hesitation, sound, movement, he'd be ready for it. Not to mention the intimidation and fear aroused by the predator literally breathing on your neck, hands locked to the table, had made the strictest warriors wet themselves.

"Did you have anything to do with the drugs?"

Strife's pulse shot up under Sephiroth's hands as his voice ghosted Cloud's ear. The cadet was staring straight ahead, but he turned ever so slightly into Sephiroth's words and leaned his head forward, unconsciously bowing to the pressure. He didn't answer immediately, but Sephiroth could see the darkening tint of Cloud's neck at this angle. He couldn't be sure if that was adrenaline or embarrassment, but probably a mixture of both.

"No." Cloud whispered it, and it didn't sound very solid to the General's ears, but it was sincere, Sephiroth knew that much.

The General's tight grip on Cloud's wrists was just short of bruising. He didn't know why that soft murmur affected him so strongly, but he knew Cloud Strife was only proving to be stranger with every meeting. The urge to do something more physical to get the words out of Strife was growing, but the General stifled it. Now was neither the place nor time.

He still had one more question and there was no point being subtle about it. "What are you hiding, Cloud Strife?"

The cadet didn't move; he'd practically turned to stone. With all the patience of a cat holding the mouse in its paws, Sephiroth waited for some response.

Cloud licked his dry lips, shifting forward even more. Sephiroth's nose was almost buried in the blond's hair, the texture very soft against his skin. Cloud's scent was overwhelming for a second—woodsy even in this metal city.

"I – "

Sephiroth didn't move, made no sound at all. His breathing was so quiet he had trouble hearing it over the staggering breaths Cloud was taking. From his angle he could see a line of sweat sliding down the boys collar and into his shirt.

"I don't know." Cloud Strife turned his full head away then to the right, shadowing his face in the poor lighting of the room to hide it. Sephiroth could feel the way his hands were trembling slightly, but he didn't feel remorse for scaring the cadet. There were far worse things he could have done.

After a prolonged moment he released Cloud's wrists, pulled up and stepped back in one swift movement. Sephiroth hesitated, not sure what to say to end this. As the General he couldn't offer encouragement or his opinion on whether Cloud would be suffering punishment or not. He didn't feel in the position to be more cordial after that intimidation factor he'd just used, and he felt unaccountably awkward. He'd done what was necessary, he told himself. Cloud _was_ hiding something, and the boy had to know it. It didn't matter that he'd clearly hit on a sore subject—and not the kind Kunsel had struck—or that he'd made the cadet clearly uncomfortable.

So he just nodding his head and slipping out a smooth "Strife", followed by a nod Cloud couldn't see. After a moment he turned his back on the cadet, displeased and filled with a strange energy. He was sure that talk had been both successful and unsuccessful, though how he couldn't quite describe. Sephiroth rapped the door soundly as he mulled over that conundrum. It buzzed open and the General strode out.

Cloud was frozen to his chair as Sephiroth made his departure. He couldn't believe that had just happened.

Had Sephiroth noticed? His boxers didn't hide anything and the man had been leaning over him like a –

Cloud stopped that thought before he could fully process it. His erection wasn't fading and he tried to stop himself from thinking about what had caused it. The General's hair, his velvet purr, and the way he held Cloud down, how everything about him was more real than anything Cloud could imagine.

_No! He had to stop!_

Cloud wrenched his stiff arms up and rubbed them down his face. He'd been paralyzed to the chair and only now did he seem to awaken from that trance. The room was heavy with disappointment and embarrassment, and Cloud tried to think of anything but Sephiroth. Anything so he didn't have to walk down that hall with a SOLDIER and a hard-on popping out of his shorts.

What had Sephiroth been doing?

_No no no no no!_

A little frantic that someone would be coming in, he did the only thing he could think of. Standing up was a little painful, but he moved to the corner of the desk and lowered himself enough to press his rigid flesh against the side of the desk. The metal desk was ice cold from the air conditioner they pumped into this room. As soon as the heated skin touched it Cloud wanted to cry out. His arousal flagged in time for him to stand up as the door buzzed. He shifted away from the desk and let his face fall back into a standard, blank expression. He knew he was probably still red, but hopefully that could just be passed off for an encounter with the General.

His hands were still quivering slightly, shaking more jerkily if he flexed them. His breathing was still stunted a bit, still too light and a little frantic. He couldn't seem to wrap his mind around what happened.

The SOLDIER that came to get him was the same one. He must have been talking with the General while Cloud sat there because Sephiroth could be seen striding away down the corridor. Cloud couldn't dwell on the way Sephiroth's hair flicked from side to side as he moved because the SOLDIER grabbed his arm to snap him back to reality.

"You blood test says you're clear. I'll escort you back to your bunker."

Cloud let out a loose breath, though it wasn't out of relief. He had to keep his body in control right now because images of the General breathing down his neck and the feeling of his lean hands on Cloud's were invading his mind with every step. He just needed to get back to the bunker and maybe totter off somewhere for a while.

Long enough to clear this chronic problem.

* * *

Writer's Note: "That's what courage is: being the only one who knows you're scared shitless_" _is adapted from the quote "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death." by Harold Wilson.


	18. Chapter 18

Writer's Note: It's been a little over a month, and I apologize for the wait. This chapter is my longest yet, so I hope that helps to make up for it. Just to give you some perspective, the SOLDIER Exam is coming up. There will probably be a couple more chapters between now and the exams. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Edit:** Corrected a spliced sentence pointed out by Eventyr. Much thanks! Also addressed Dan's punishment—I was reminded by a reviewer that I never mentioned what happened to Dan. Thanks darkwhizper! I've also rewritten quite a bit of the first scene. Rereading it I found I didn't like it at all. I'm still not that happy, but it's much better than before I think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Eighteen (09-21-08)**

Edited: 05-24-10

The conversation at breakfast was stilted. Bunker E, their bunker, had gathered in some of the farther off tables, for once sitting at tables near each other rather than scattered about—all remaining five of them. The drug fiasco had ostracized them from the other bunkers and they had been made painfully aware of it.

The bullying had been vicious from last night onward. No public announcement had been made yet, but everyone already knew the gist of what happened. Three boys from Bunker E, one from Bunker A, one from C, and even one from F had all been implemented in the crime of the sale and use of performance-enhancing drugs. The boys of Bunker E were hit the hardest and had been blamed for the ratting out everyone else. The three other bunkers also had blood tests done, and more than one boy from the other bunkers had failed those drug tests. But the only ones who had admitted to smuggling and/or selling the drugs were actually kicked out. Users who tested positive got their privileges, like leaving the compound on weekends, taken away indefinitely and a required course every evening for two weeks about the drugs they'd used. It had not been a pretty situation.

Bunker E, with three people down, was now only five. Cloud, Reno and Dan were seated at their usual table, meaning the other two, Acker and Neal, were on their own. They were seated a couple tables away, sitting in silence chewing on their food. They weren't looking at each other or the rest of the hall whose whispers and looks were directed at Cloud's table. Cloud sat customarily with his back to the wall, Reno across from him and Dan seated at his side. It wasn't pleasant having that many eyes on them and it made Dan fidget uncomfortably. Cloud kept eating with a monotonous movement befitting a robot, but Reno threw down his plastic fork half way through breakfast. He had one of those dangerous smiles on that almost made Dan feel like a cow heading to the butcher's.

The redhead's leg was bouncing up and down excitedly, and he even swiveled around to look around the room. Dan could tell Reno wasn't focusing on any one thing, just taking in the room of cadets.

Dan held the small hope Reno was looking for a different kind of prey tonight. He didn't think he could take Reno beating on him after what everyone had said to him. It was only breakfast and already he was worn out.

Dan knew he bore the brunt of the teasing and bullying. Everyone seemed to know that he had been the holder of the most drugs and that he'd spilled the beans on who gave them to him. He'd tested negative though and had totally broken down in that interrogation room admitting that he'd only accepted them because he wanted people to like him. Thankfully no one knew those details, Dan wasn't sure he could overcome of the embarrassment of having it known that he'd nearly wet his pants and started crying two minutes in. Still, he'd gotten off light, with privileges taken away and guard duty on the graveyard shift. At least he hadn't been kicked out, so Dan was more than thankful.

The other boys had gotten some heat from their peers, but Cloud and Reno had seemed relatively clear of the physical side of it. No one was shouting "cock-sucker" or "dirt-licker" at them or shoving them into walls. Dan had barely managed to get away from getting his head shoved down a toilet this morning. Then again, Reno twitched every time someone shouted something particularly dirty. He never responded, but his face would turn into a nasty grimace. He seemed to be dealing just fine otherwise, though Cloud seemed particularly unfazed by what happened around him.

Dan knew Cloud was brooding on something, but what that was the blond wasn't sharing. Not that Dan had really expected that of Cloud. It's not like the blond had ever confided in him before. The rest of the bunker wasn't as apathetic to what everyone else was saying and doing like Cloud was. There had already been a scuffle with the two other boys that had thankfully managed to be broken up before any people of authority saw. The last thing the bunker needed was punishments on top of the pressure their peers were dealing out.

It seemed that everyone was embarrassed at being the guys associated with the delinquents. Shinra was really the only workplace where movement in the ranks was possible. To have that kind of black stain on your record could cut someone out of officer's school right there.

Dan had heard stories of one of his neighbor's uncles who had been dishonorably dismissed from the army. Whatever happened to him no one really ever said, but it was the acknowledged belief of the family that he'd ended up a bum on the streets. Juno had a number of misfits of that sort, older men and even some younger ones who came home jobless and almost literally barred from getting another.

Thinking about it made him distinctly relieved he hadn't gotten in huge trouble like them. That didn't seem to stop the other boys from being mean and it bothered him how they got away with their treatment. Dan had long given up saying anything back. He'd just gotten beat-up worse, so he let it go. It still stung though. No one liked to be called names and Reno had just rubbed it in. The redhead seemed to be taking it well for the most part, laughing and making up absurd stories for what happened at his interrogation. The brown-haired cadet knew some of that had to be a cover. Dan knew Reno had hidden behind the guise of a bully before and he was sad to see some of that change reversing. He'd been softening up these past few weeks after befriending Cloud, but now Dan could see a bit of the redhead reverting. Dan had no idea how to stop it or even if he had the influence to. Cloud certainly would. Perhaps he could talk to Cloud sometime about it.

The interrogation stories were pretty wild sometimes and boringly tame others, depending on Reno's mood and audience. These stories pulled more from his comedic imagination than reality, but Dan had seen the hickey Reno came in with. He tried to ask about it but Reno had snapped at him when he saw him staring, his tongue just as sharp as ever. As for Cloud, the blond no more helped than hurt. He was just indifferent and that also stung. He didn't even intervene when Reno picked on Dan.

Reno turned back to their table, his leg still bouncing in place like a little boy's. Dan wasn't quite sure what Reno was so excited about, but when they locked eyes Dan was immediately suspicious. His spoon, which he'd just dipped into his soup, he lifted, inspecting the rusty-colored substance. Had Reno done something to it?

He took a small sip from the spoon; his eyes stuck on Reno who was watching him brightly, his leg still twitching under the table. Musing on the soup, Dan decided that although there was far too much salt in it, it seemed okay.

Yeah, Reno must have done something.

Deciding to be ahead of the game, Dan whipped his spoon to face Reno and made an exaggerated lunge at him over the table with the intention of gouging one of those blue-grey eyes out. Reno started laughing as he scooted to the left to avoid the attack. Dan, unrelenting, changed angles for a second spear. Cloud smoothly shoved Dan's arm that crossed in front of his plate in the right direction. Dan almost grinned before Reno, who had ducked under the outstretched spoon and shifted back to his original spot, responded in kind. He pulled his own spoon out of his bowl and waved it menacingly at Dan. "See my spoon? You gotta hook it so the inside curve is facing the inside of the face. Easier to gouge from ear to nose."

Dan had hardly understood the advice before a chunk of what looked like lumped cereal was flung at him from Reno's spoon. Dan, sputtering as he pulled a clump of lukewarm, light brown, feces-looking substance from his hair, put his plastic spoon down and decided his fingers might work just as well to strangle the redhead.

Cloud in the midst of this just ignored them.

Dan's counterattack failed as Reno left his tray at their table and stood up. He flashed a grin at them both before smoothly strolling to the center aisle of tables before boldly climbing on top of one. The remains of Bunker E were sitting at the end of that table, their eyes bugging out at Reno. The redhead ignored them in favor of looking out on the crowd of cadets, snapping his waistband like a smart entrepreneur.

Dan was totally surprised at what was happening. He glanced to his right at Cloud, but the blond didn't look any more informed than Dan did. He had put his fork down to watch, but other than that he looked perfectly content to sit still.

Reno put one hand over his mouth and mimicked the sound of the old speakers in the cadet's bunkers coming on. Everyone started to snicker. The main body of the room was cadets; SOLDIERs had their own cafeteria (though rumor had it they rarely used it), so there were only regular employees, cadets, and kitchen staff to play witness.

With a fake cough to clear his throat, Reno began. "SOLDIER cadets! I have an official announcement concerning the recent evictions of some of your peers." Whispers immediately broke out, most wondering what the hell Reno was thinking. Everyone's eyes were on him though. Someone drum-rolled in the back as Reno waited, watching the others decide what to think.

Reno's face was comically serious, even facing the obvious disrespect and laughter of his crowd. He started then:

"As your President," Reno's voice dropping appropriately, and pretending to snap imaginary suspenders, "I am hear to warn you that crossing Shinra will be bad for your health." Here Reno paused, then comically leaned forward with a hand cupped around his ear. "'What will happen?' You say? Well, let's just put it this way: you won't be coming back."

There were many in the crowd who snickered at that. The rumors of "disappearing" employees in Shinra were fairly commonplace.

"The perpetrators of the crime,"—notably not saying what crime in good Shinra faith—"have been suitably punished. I myself participated in their public whippings," here Reno wiggled his eyebrows, and there was muffled laughter. "We at Shinra are an efficient company. Waste not want not, yes?" Reno's aristocratic accent was getting pretty outrageous. Already there were waves of chuckles and laughter following his every word.

"All clothing was removed and all belongs taken," some hooted here, egging Reno on, "and then the cadets were—" Reno mimicked the sound of crackling speakers cutting off his speech, to the amusement of the cadets and even the staff. "—and that is how we at Shinra, deal with those sorts. Any questions?"

Uproarious laughter and many inappropriate questions were shouted. Reno ignored them though, waving them off with an imaginary handkerchief. Following this, the redhead was smoothed out his non-existent suit and brushed back a few stray hairs. He looked ridiculously gay as he did so. "Their possessions have been confiscated and the executives will be going through them to make sure there's nothing they don't want." He made some lewd gestures to indicate porn, which caused a good deal of laughter and turned Dan's face terribly red.

The redhead looked outrageously smug with himself.

"So let this be a warning to you cadets! If you're dealin' 'em, don't get caught with 'em."

The cadets broke into applause as Reno gave a flamboyant bow, jumped down and strutted away, his act not over until he'd exited the room. The cadets were applauding him and calling for encores as he left and the cafeteria workers looked completely bowled over. Dan watched him go in awe, amazed at Reno's seemingly endless confidence and the ease in which he could pull a stunt like that out of nowhere.

Hopefully this had managed to diffuse some of the pressure on their group. Dan thought if they got lucky, they would be overlooked during the test on Friday and the bullying might slow down, or even stop. The last thing Dan needed was to make a fool of himself and be picked on in front of the SOLDIERs.

Even with Reno's brazen public stunt and Dan's poor attempts at levity, the following days after the interrogations were straight from hell by most people's standards. Most kids in the bunker had never suffered like this sort of peer cruelty, but Cloud had no remorse for them.

Cloud though, had the odd feeling he'd lived through many days like this: the constant teasing, the jeering, the violent shoves, and the constant staring. Of course, his faulty memory, for once, was doing him a favor because he couldn't quite remember those incidents, but he was pretty confident he'd hated living though them the first time.

There had been no Zack to cheer him up either. The SOLDIER had been sent down to Midgar to investigate the mako-lacing of the drugs, so he wouldn't be back until Friday. This meant he still got to see the upcoming tests that no cadet was looking forward to. Cloud couldn't remember much of these tests before, but he wasn't particularly worried about them. Dan was equally as cool since they were in something he was well versed in, coming from Juno, but it was oddly Reno who had put on the airs of confidence. Cloud was a little curious to see what would happen to the redhead.

Where his memory failed him on his own personal history, time he shared with Zack was easier to call up. He could recall the conversation that had basically explained exactly why Shinra was such a popular place to work despite its sometimes depraved stories and strange happenings. Breaking any links from Shinra was the equivalent of dropping out of the workforce forever. With Shinra's worldwide influence and they being the main source of jobs anywhere on the planet, people with nasty reputations—like those drug-dealing kids—were going to be hard-pressed to find work that had any upward mobility.

It was part of the reason Cid had never gotten much of a job after the failure of the rocket launch. He was blamed for why it didn't go up and, though he never admitted it, had trouble supporting himself afterwards. Being the Captain of the town was wonderful, but living off of Shera's earnings wasn't. Cloud recognized that bitterness in the man, the need to assert himself.

Thinking of certain prickly people and being delicate around some subjects reminded Cloud of the address they'd been given the day after the big incident. Monday evening class had been shortened a bit when a scientist, who didn't look like he'd seen the sun in months, gave them a lecture on the dangers of drugs. Cloud had paid attention, though most of the facts he'd already known. Dan was also riveted, wincing at the appropriate parts and otherwise being the sole man in the audience who genuinely cared. Reno snorted at the end and pronounced it useless information. Cloud had not been amused. It had been the same repetitive thing everyone was told before, and Cloud noted how little detail they got concerning mako treatments. No SOLDIERs took drugs, that much was emphasized, but no one really explained why.

Typical Shinra. Let people mess up on their own so the science department can have them.

* * *

Monday night found Cloud being yanked into a dark hallway by a certain redhead. Said redhead had been a little too laidback recently for Cloud's comfort, trying to hint at something to Cloud for the past two hours to which Cloud had dutifully remained ignorant. Like when he'd continuously mentioned Cloud's "SOLDIER friend"—Zack—in an attempt to find a legitimate reason to be in Shinra Headquarters. Those comments had surprised Cloud at first and then repulsed him at the idea of using Zack. That had made him a bit angry, but he'd known to withhold his tongue. Reno had no problem using people so long as he knew they could fight back. Cloud had found that out from fighting him, working with the Turks with AVALANCHE, and after. Therefore Cloud had pointedly disregarded anything Reno implied, particularly things to do with night-outings and sneaking around.

Cloud was dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, the heat from the showers staving off the chill of the AC for a short while. He'd been drying his hair with the towel now slung around his neck when Reno caught him. Cloud had been one of the last to get in. The other boys from the other bunkers had pushed and shoved their way to the front, claiming first shower rights because they "didn't cheat." By the time Bunker E had gotten in the showers had been cleared out, which was alright even if the hot water had begun to dwindle. By the time Cloud got in his shower was cold, but he hadn't minded it. He'd never had hot water for showers at home, his self-made house outside Midgar's remains.

He'd dwelled on thoughts of his home throughout his quick shower then dismissed it to the back of his mind. It was stupid to be homesick for something that wasn't even built yet.

Imaging homesickness reminded him of Dan, whom Cloud had the feeling had been one of those kids who longed for home in the beginning, even if Cloud couldn't remember it. Dan had been pretty tough recently though. Reno's constant bothering about his next question—about Tseng of all people—had caught Dan's attention, and the brown-haired boy had been quick to jump to Cloud's defense. As soon as the words "back off" left Cloud's lips, Dan had begun to intervene between the blond and the redhead.

Reno had reacted at that, surprise turning quickly to annoyance. Then he had upped the ante by calling the meetings "late night rendezvous" with heavy sexual insinuations. Dan had been horrified much to Reno's amusement, but when Cloud didn't encourage it or react Dan had been firm on pushing Reno away. The boy seemed to approve little of homosexual relationships, but he had a strict belief on consensual ones, even if they were between the same sexes. Reno had amusedly told Cloud he thought Dan was trying to protect Cloud's virtue, which Dan had taken serious offense at. Cloud had brushed it off. Dan was trying to be a good friend, even if he didn't quite get the gist of what Reno was really saying.

Reno got cruder as Dan got tougher. Unnecessary comments on positions and going so far as to inform Dan Cloud was a biter, all while displaying his hickey that had so bothered Dan before. Dan got defensive over it quickly and Cloud appreciated the support. What the blond noticed most of all was that Dan didn't ask if any of Reno's sexual overtones had merit, if Cloud and Reno had ever engaged in a physical relationship. The amount of respect for his boundaries was something Cloud deeply appreciated. He'd had those same boundaries flaunted and completely ignored for years by scientists, friends, and interested admirers, that he'd grown to be grateful for something as easily missed as that.

Now though, in the shadowed hallway Dan wasn't here to play interference, and Cloud had the unwelcome task of trying to put Reno off this obsession with Tseng before he really got stuck on it.

"I let you skive on the last question Cloud, but this one we gotta do." Reno staged whispered to Cloud, his face serious though his eyes were full of mischief. Cloud's skin prickled at the hushed words, already picking up on the cagey vibe of this conversation. A part of him wanted that adrenaline rush of a good challenge, but his more rational side far outweighed that. It had to.

Cloud tried and failed not to look completely exasperated with Reno's demands as they stood together in the hallway, almost touching shoulders. Cloud wondered if Reno knew the shirt he was wearing was inside out.

Reno, as Cloud was finding out more and more, played with fire with oiled hands. He'd let Reno worry about the consequences of the danger he was toying with later… when he was a Turk? Cloud wasn't sure what would happen with his meddling anymore. He was honest enough with himself to recognize a part of him was feeling both the considerable amount of dread and hope at the notion.

Dread over an unknown and possibly doomed fate.

Hope because it didn't have to be that way.

If was strange to think of his own life as something other than a ghastly series of events that went from heinous to unspeakable.

The momentary inner calm that thought formed didn't blossom into any patience with Reno, however. The redhead was still the same person a minute later after Cloud's revelation, and it didn't make Cloud's temper any longer with him. The blond looked away from Reno to the floor, hearing the distant voices of the other cadets as they drifted around the corner.

The bathrooms were around the far corner, the smell of cheap soap and hot air reached him as the heat from the showers drifted by. The other boys' voices fell against the stark walls like white noise from the evenly spaced lights, Dan's cheerful voice not quite as perky, though it still carried. There was little to set this corridor apart from any other in Shinra except for the humidity and mold.

That mold, Cloud reflected somewhat strangely, was probably the only living plant on the Shinra compound. It reminded him of his own plants in his home, but most especially of Aeris' flowers. Mold was a far cry from flowers, but green life was green life.

Reno interrupted the touching memory Cloud was relieving. His voice scratched harshly against the painting in his mind.

"What's Tseng strapped with?"

Cloud, who had so far only been humoring Reno's exaggerated attempts at playing spy, jerked to look at him. That was probably one of the easiest and most difficult answers to question. Cloud already knew what kind of gun Tseng used; he even knew what kind of bullets since he'd had to pry them out of his body before. But how to lie about where he got that knowledge was completely different.

Reno looked expectantly at him. His voice had been full of restrained excitement. He must have been waiting hours, if not days, to spit this one out_. _"At the end of the hall there's a door outside. We cut through that and get out to the headquarters in hardly a minute. Through there, there's this staircase that goes all the way to the top of the building. It's late enough that we can go up to his floor and sneak in through a window or something. Fast too 'cause in a firefight we can get out quick and back to the bunker." The redhead was gesturing excitedly, and from his tight grip of Cloud's upper arm he looked like he expected to go now.

Cloud pulled his arm free from Reno's hold, the redhead's fingers were nimble but not that strong. The blond couldn't help but think of what Reno would lose if he got kicked out. He could still be a Turk surely, if he caught their attention under the plate. But Cloud had far more to lose from this; and he wasn't about to risk Zack and Sephiroth for some silly question he already knew the answer to.

"My hair is wet and the staircase is indoors. I have a towel that is just extra weight with me and my shoes squeak from the water." Cloud held up the towel as evidence. He could only hope Reno would be logical about this. "The windows are spaced a floor apart, so climbing around on the outside without any sort of gear would be incredibly difficult, not to mention incredibly exposed to anyone's eyes."

Reno's excited gesturing with his hands froze as soon as Cloud started to break down his plan in concise words. Cloud thought he was being perfectly frank about how inadequate he thought the plan was, and was therefore much surprised to see Reno's complacent smirk on his face.

Before Cloud could ask what that expression was for, Reno winked.

The blond didn't react outwardly, suddenly far too wrapped up in wondering if he'd underestimated Reno. The redhead was up to something, or he'd figured something out, and either way Cloud somehow knew he'd just been had.

_Well, time to cut that off before Reno got too deep… if he wasn't neck-deep already._

Cloud turned away with finality as he always did when a conversation went bad, dismissing the subject and hoping beyond hope that he was still acting casual enough. He couldn't help flitting his eyes up to judge the expression on Reno's face.

What little hope Cloud had was dashed. Reno wasn't buying it. "Since you know so much better, why don't you come up with a plan?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Cloud regretted the question as soon as Reno's features morphed into a rakish grin. "You really want to know what happened at my interrogation?" Reno had barely started his lewd monologue before Cloud whipped around and began to walk away, totally uninterested in Reno's stories.

He'd barely gotten fifteen feet before the redhead's boots were pounding behind him and his elbow was reached for. Cloud twisted out of the way before the catch, turning to glare at Reno. He growled under his breath before he could stop himself. This was starting to really tick him off.

Cloud didn't even open his mouth before the redhead opened his. Reno's serious tone stopped him more than the words. "You're not getting out of this. I let you off on the last one but this one is important." Even Reno's face was in one of its rare serious expressions.

Cloud wasn't convinced by Reno's pseudo-grave behavior. Tseng was probably some kind of personal fancy (and Cloud refused to think any longer on that), and he had no obligation to help Reno with his flights of obsession. "No."

"What about a trade? I give you somethin' you give me somethin'?"

Cloud ignored the idea that Reno was hinting at a deeper knowledge of Shinra, but his secret felt incredibly exposed for that second before he could stop himself. _Reno doesn't know anything._ "We already had a deal. Parkour for these questions. We can stop the parkour now if your questions are going to always be this inane."

Reno just shook his head. "You just lost your chance, Blondie. I'll still teach you more tricks, but I'm not giving up on this question. This one's _important."_

Cloud hesitated before he asked. "Important or personal curiosity?" Cloud didn't think he really wanted an answer as Reno's cat-grin returned.

* * *

By Wednesday Cloud was ready to dropkick Reno to the ground and strangle him.

The question had quickly evolved to a full biography and twenty-four hour surveillance request from Reno. The fact that he managed to expand it to such ridiculous portions in just a couple of days revealed his imagination. Cloud's fuse was short, and the redhead had taken great glee in setting Cloud far enough off to slam the bunker door in his face.

Poor Dan had somehow got caught in the crossfire. Cloud had more than once snapped at him when Reno had slipped him a note in class asking if he was willing to skip sleeping tonight for a run to see what was in Tseng's refrigerator. The teacher hadn't appreciated Dan's shout later either when he was pelted with three paper airplanes all meant for Cloud. The brown-haired boy had tried to shoot a vicious glare over his shoulder at the self-congratulatory Reno, but another ball was flicked his way before he could. It seemed like Reno was only more than happy to ride the brunette's tail after his protection of Cloud the other night.

Dan loathed Reno more than ever as he stewed over it in class.

Reno seemed to be winding down though by Wednesday afternoon. Dan had actually managed to push Reno off his mat in a practice hand-to-hand combat, much to the instructor's and his own excitement. Reno had always been clever and quick in hand-to-hand combat, usually ignoring most of the instruction in favor of just beating people down his way, so when Dan came out on top the instructor was nearly crowing.

With Cloud's general anger at Reno for being such a childish prick, Dan had even gotten some extra tips from the blond. Cloud had gone so far as to move his mat next to Dan's and corrected him where he could. It had been a wonderful feeling for Dan, who sincerely appreciated the little details Cloud took care to fix. That extra attention seemed to annoy Reno quite a bit, enough to incense him to challenge Cloud to a spar, which landed him flat on his back. Again.

Reno had taken the beatings fairly well, even with some of the commentary coming from the other cadets. They were thrilled to see Reno go down and the redhead was good about only gracing it with a glare. One boy stepped out of line though, Maxwell Gangren as expected. He and Reno had a nasty history as it was.

"How much you getting to get knocked down like that? Or you just used to laying on your back?"

The words had been enough to send alarms off in Cloud's brain. Reno had few sensitive topics, but Maxwell had just hit one with a hot poker.

"I don't take favors from anyone." Reno words had been laced with fire and he looked furious. Cloud knew Reno was ready to do this the way they did in the slums—violence and retribution: eye for an eye.

Cloud stepped closer to the enraged Reno, silently ready to hold him back from beating Maxwell to a pulp. Short-term gratification didn't do any good in the long-term. SOLDIER saw to that. There was a distinct difference between sparing and uncontrolled fighting, and Reno was obviously ready to cross that line. Before Reno could even make his move though, Maxwell was abruptly upended, landing square on his tailbone with a sharp, distinctly un-masculine yell.

Aaron Tamboia, a boy from Bunker C, planted his foot on Maxwell's chest before he could get up. The mat Maxwell had been standing on had been kicked a couple of feet over, enough to knock the boy to the steel floor. The downed cadet groaned miserably, clearly in a lot of pain. Aaron didn't seem to notice.

"If fighting dirty makes you better, then shouldn't we all take advantage of that?" His popped his hip out to the right and planted his hand there in a decidedly feminine stance. He voice was pitched a little higher than a man's, though he didn't have the stereotypical lisp of a homosexual. He looked down disdainfully at Maxwell, flicking a lock of dirty blond hair highlighted with streaks of purple faded to lavender. It accented his pale skin, nearly as white as Cloud, though he was far taller and leaner. He didn't seem perturbed by his audience or their surprise.

Maxell glowered at Aaron angrily. The cadet above him just tsked at him before leaning down to twirl a lock of Maxwell's dark hair around his finger. "Greasy. You should really take better care of it. Look at the General's hair. Glorious." He said it in a childish sing-song way that made Maxwell flinch away from the hand that still held his hair before it twitched it away.

He was probably the most openly gay man in the group and was given quite a bit of personal space for it. Most guys felt horribly uncomfortable with someone who had no problem touching them more intimately than general acquaintances. Homosexuality wasn't regarded as a bad thing, but for most men it was a last-option kind of deal, and only for sexual gratification. An odd belief, but one nonetheless sustained by the army.

It made Aaron a bit of an outcast, but he didn't seem to mind. Cloud had never spoken to him before and hadn't heard much about him.

Aaron was a wiry guy; slender enough that he emphasized his more feminine attributes by his lax clothing, though now he wore the military garb they were required to. He had noticeably big ears and the dyed hair, but was otherwise unremarkable.

The boy was teased relentlessly though, even though he took it well. It was always the verbal abuse because the cadets seemed to have developed some measure of homophobia, especially when around him. It seemed to be popular opinion he'd jump or goose you if you flashed just a hint of skin or came too close. Cloud had never really considered how Aaron handled it, but the boy almost took great pleasure from making thug-size men back up from him. He'd deliberately worn make-up on weekends and spent an hour doing his hair as the other boys showered. Laughing off the teasing didn't change the fact it happened, and Aaron seemed more than willing to return the favor.

Considering homosexuality, Cloud knew SOLDIER was probably the most accepting place for it. With no woman it had almost become a given, and the idea of a lesser man being a homosexual was thrown off as soon as people realized it was First Class SOLDIERs who were engaged in these relationships. Still, that idea didn't quite permeate down to the cadets, who carried with them the older beliefs of the more effeminate men who weren't "man" enough to dominate a relationship with a woman, thereby letting another man do it for them. It was why Aaron got such heat and why he made a point of picking on the biggest guys. Knocking them to the ground like he did Maxwell only served to break that weak image of a homosexual a little more each time.

And now Aaron was exacting a little revenge on Maxwell, a major force behind the bullying he'd suffered.

Reno didn't look totally happy that his revenge had been snatched away from him, but Cloud felt better. Aaron didn't seem to be nearly as impulsive as Reno, and he wouldn't go too far with this.

The blond was proven right as a couple more digs into the chest by Aaron's boot and a little more gloating over the down boy and it was over. Aaron even offered Maxwell a hand up, but it was ignored as Maxwell nursed a bruised pride. Aaron just shrugged before winking provocatively at Reno and leaving.

* * *

Cloud was never so tired of the antics of his gender as he was this week.

Reno's efforts to get Cloud to help him culminated to one horrendous Thursday morning. Cloud was woken up out of a nightmare at one in the morning by an overeager Reno who had decided on a plan of action. He'd dragged an obstinate Cloud out of bed without shoes or proper clothes while whispering his scheme. No matter what Cloud did or said, Reno refused to give any leeway. They'd made it all the way out of the cadet barracks and halfway to Shinra Headquarters before Cloud really started to fight back.

He hadn't wanted to make a commotion right in front of three bunker doors, nor had he been properly awake enough to take full stock of the situation. A dangerous habit formed from years away from the battlefront had ingrained, and one that always accompanied his bad dreams. He hadn't been able to quell it. Reno had managed to interrupt one of Cloud's frequent dreams of mako tubes. This time it had been of a memory of being moved from one end of the facility to another. The sickening rocking sensation as the whole cylinder was carted down endless, steel-lined corridors tinged in green had disoriented him at first. For one horrible moment his dream had been his reality.

The air outside was cooler and not like the stale recycled air inside. He'd snapped back to full consciousness quickly enough.

"I'm not doing this Reno. Tseng is a Turk and you're severely underestimating them."

Reno snapped back at him without even glancing back. "Oh, so you know so much? I've followed some of the trainee Turks down below before and they rely on the Turk reputation too much. Tseng's a pushover if you get at him right."

"Yes, because breaking into his office is a great way to win him over."

"Hey, sarcasm ain't necessary. I'm being honest."

Summoning up the shreds of his patience that had been severely frayed throughout the week, Cloud repeated what he'd been saying the whole time. "I doubt Tseng will keep his guns in his office."

Reno replied right back with his usual bullshit. "Then we'll just have to break into his apartment tomorrow night."

Cloud ground his teeth together at Reno's stubbornness. He really loathed people when they were this mulish about something as silly as this. Zack was renowned for this, but at least his plans weren't going to screw them over for the rest of their lives. Zack got away with it on a much smaller level, but Reno, the real daredevil here, could be hurting more than just his ego or pride. He could kill his chances at life in some ways, and that was way after where Zack drew the line.

Deciding things had hit bottom with Reno, since the redhead still had a nasty grip on his arm and wasn't about to be swayed, Cloud took action.

_Fuck the consequences. They'll be far worse when we're caught._

He grabbed Reno by the back of his shirt and pulled them both behind one of the heating units outside the main building. Reno had barely started protesting before Cloud had elbowed him in the gut. The blond in charge now popped his head around the heater, checking out the area. There were some kind of exhaust fumes above his head that tickled his hair, but he ignored the sensations as he made sure the coast was clear, being particularly careful that there were no cameras fixed on the outside walls.

No one was coming or going. The cadet barracks' windows were all closed and this side of Shinra didn't have windows until the fourth story. If Reno made a loud exclamation someone might hear it, but by the time security got down here they'd be safely back in the barracks. It was better to make this quick though, rather than the risk of a run-in with a perimeter patrol.

Reno audibly groaned; one arm wrapped around his stomach. Cloud wasn't in the mood to offer any sympathy, especially when Reno was being particularly irksome.

"Shut up. Tseng uses two different guns depending on range, conditions, and the target. He uses a silver Taurus model 66 for longer range and larger targets. It's a .357 magnum with seven rounds in a traditional barrel. Stainless steel with a padded grip, handmade and it has a special barrel and sight."

Reno's face went completely slack with shock as Cloud plowed on, heedless for just the suspended moment of the consequences.

"For the closer range or faster targets he uses a Beretta Neos with INOX. It's automatic, made of Damascus steel and solid black with an extended barrel and a thermal sight that can spot targets maybe four hundred yards away. Got it? Good. Now let's go back."

Reno's head was totally blank, registering somewhere in it that Cloud was leading him back to the barracks. The bomb that had just been dropped in Reno's lap had diffused instead of blown up like he thought. It had been a gamble from start to finish _and man, automatic!_

The amount of money and brilliance to make those alterations… the strength to take the recoil… the ability to aim something firing thirty bullets a second straight from one hand… _damn._

It took the redhead a good few minutes to put his thoughts into words and then out through his mouth. Reno surprised Cloud with his first coherent question, which wasn't the accusatory suspicion Cloud had expected. "Automatic? Beretta Neos _automatic_? Automatic's illegal _and _that gun doesn't even come in automatic!"

"He can reload with a magazine or with individual bullets."

Reno didn't ask any more questions after that, his face seemed to be trapped in an expression somewhere between awe and cruel jealousy. Cloud had no idea how badly he wanted to get his hands on those. _Think of the clean action, the way you could reload _two ways. _Fucking amazing._

They managed to make it all the way back into the lounge outside their bunker before Reno formulated the response Cloud had been dreading.

Or so Cloud thought.

"So… I think the plan worked out well."

Cloud snapped his head up to look at the redhead for real. Would Reno really let something that big go?

Reno looked perfectly self-satisfied with himself, arms linked behind his head in a relaxed pose. Like he'd just robbed the Shinra vaults and hadn't left a shred of evidence.

The chills that went up Cloud's spine were worse than if Reno had asked outright how he'd known about the guns. The phrase's easy implication that Cloud already knew what kind of gun Tseng used didn't sit well with the blond at all. Reno gave him a knowing look, and Cloud's whole expresson closed off. Reno would get nothing from him.

The redhead seemed to know this though, because he casually slouched back, hands still behind his head.

"At least I didn't have to boost you through the bathroom window." He smirked, and Cloud saw the smug look out of the corner of his eye.

_Can't trust a Turk, blue suit or not.

* * *

_

Friday morning dawned clear through Sephiroth's tall windows. He could see the sun majestically rising in the distance, plumes of golden, red, and orange light streamed across the desert in a race to Midgar. It was a beautiful view, but one he had long lost passion for. The display was always the same.

His quiet moment of reflection ended with the swift, staccato beats of two boots heading down the hall towards his door. The familiar inhale and exhale of breathing followed shortly thereafter, the rhythm of the steps matched the breathing until the dull thuds stopped and there was only a breath, then the rustle of clothing, and finally the rap of knuckles against wood.

Zack didn't wait for a response, opening the door and walking onto Sephiroth's plush white carpet. The SOLDIER halted only a couple of steps in, and from the sounds of his movements he had no intention of taking off his boots.

Sephiroth might have sighed if he was ever inclined to, aware that Zack was going to drag him off somewhere and definitely not to work. The General didn't turn away from the windows in his dining room though, his back facing the doorway. Maybe Zack might leave him alone.

"Did you realize its Cloud's group going today?" There was no hello, no morning greeting whatsoever. Zack's breathy exclamation explained his abnormal heartbeat, just a tad faster than usual. He was excited. Sephiroth would be going to see the testing apparently. He should have known.

"Seph?" The waver of concern in Zack's voice was perfectly clear in the stillness of the room. Sephiroth could not seem to make himself turn away as the sunrise washed over his kitchen and dining room, splashing against the white leather of his sofas in an image he had often watched and long memorized.

"He do one of those psychological tests again? Damnit." Zack' clothing rustle and there was the sound of shifting hair. He must be running his hand through his hair. Zack had a more indirect dislike of Hojo, but it was nonetheless very powerful, particularly on Sephiroth's behalf. "Look, this'll be good for you. You can watch the cadets flounder and make fools of themselves, and a whole bunch of the guys are gonna have a betting pool. Let's get some breakfast with them there, it'll make you feel better." Zack took a couple more steps in, and Sephiroth noticed there was uncharacteristic amount of tentativeness in them.

Aware suddenly of how he might actually be frightening—_frightening_—Zack, Sephiroth turned abruptly. Zack flinched a bit back, and Sephiroth belatedly realized he'd moved too fast.

_Inhuman beast._

"Let me don some more proper clothes." It would be a relief to get away and collect himself. With a nod he gracefully put the tea mug in his hand down and headed back to his room to change. The delicate cup was a natural shade of green, handmade from Wutai, a personal favorite of his and he was sure to be careful with it. He didn't let on how turbulent he felt then. The disparity between him and the other First Class SOLDIERs was rarely felt as poignantly as just then.

Zack watched him walk away with equanimity unmatched. Sephiroth wasn't prone to mood swings often, but sometimes they just happened. Zack had always struggled to find a way to snap him out of it. Sometimes group interaction worked, sometimes a good meal, other times just leaving him alone or a good spar helped, but occasionally he couldn't find anything to pick Sephiroth back up. It upset Zack on a deep level to see his friend like this, and he hated that inability to help.

The man was normally taciturn but witty, a paper-dry sense of humor always there in the background of his conversations. This gaping void had been more prominent in Wutai, and for obvious reasons to Zack, but those wounds had been licked and scarred over. It happened in war. But these occasional relapses were all the more reason for worry. Sephiroth was able to joke sometimes about the war, but other times… Was this day like an anniversary? A testament? Was it just Hojo's meddling, or simply a bad day?

Sephiroth stepped back into the living room, his sleek black work-shoes in one hand. He had swept his hair over one shoulder, wearing dark work pants and a loose white shirt. He ignored Zack, whose eyes roved over him carefully, obviously looking for signs of the depraved scientist's experiments, and Sephiroth ignored him. He never liked being probed and stared at, whether as a specimen or hero. Zack meant well, but that didn't move his eyes away.

Sephiroth picked his mug up from the dining room table and returned it to the immaculate kitchen, washing it out in the skin and placing it steadily on the drying rack. It was the only dishware visible in the kitchen, the only sign someone even used this marbleized room.

They left moments later, Sephiroth locking the door behind him. Zack kept abreast of him to the elevator, chatting unhurriedly if mindlessly. The noise seemed to soothe Sephiroth on some level, though it wasn't outwardly visible. Zack knew there was little else he could do except wait it out.

* * *

There were three pools on the Shinra grounds: a SOLDIER pool and two for the regulation army. The pools were indoors, the outdoor weather and temperature changes during the day too harsh for the upkeep outside. Or maybe Shinra was just too cheap. The SOLDIER pool was a ten-lane giant, with chemically altered water that didn't utilize chlorine to keep it clean, as the sensitivity of a SOLDIER was considerably more powerful than a human.

The regulation army pools were the normal size, older style ones with probably too much chlorine in the water. The cadets from Cloud's group were gathered there, huddled on the bleachers off to the side. The ugly shade of orange on the bleachers was the brightest color in the room next to the glimmering blue water. The only reason it was so clean was because so few soldiers actually used it.

The General and roughly ten Second Class SOLDIERs had adopted the top booth at the back of the pool for their gambling and viewing pleasure. Zack hadn't been able to bring Kunsel, who had work, but that didn't stop the man's enthusiasm. Instead he brought another first class, his favorite gambling buddy, Wade. In the glass box the heat of the room and the overwhelming smell of chlorine didn't penetrate, letting the SOLDIERs relax in peace.

The box was a tumble of sound from the Seconds', Zack and the one other First's shouting voices as the betting pool opened up. The furniture was older, the cushions worn on the scattering of seats and the paint peeling in the corners. It even had the strange mixture of dust and cleaner smells that was unique to some of the older, less lived-in buildings.

Sephiroth would have wrinkled his nose at the smell, but he withheld as he was hailed and greeted upon his entrance. Zack made a comment about air quality, but other than that the door was left open to let a little air through. The men were fairly easy around their General, if a little more subdued in their betting than they might usually have been. Wade threw the General a side-glance, no doubt aware of the odd mood he was in, but didn't ask about it. The Seconds didn't seem to notice or respond to it.

The Third Class SOLDIERs below were having a harder time of it. Chlorine was a powerful chemical and one with a very distinctive scent. Normal humans often felt uncomfortable with the powerful smell, let alone a more sensitive SOLDIER's nose. The ones monitoring these tests were rotating for a step outside to clear their senses.

The General looked down on the hubbub of the pool area distantly, watching with detachment. He couldn't bring himself to do more, his mind sluggish. It was an unpleasant feeling, but he couldn't seem to drag himself out of it, a side-effect of Hojo's typical tests.

This pool was smaller than the ten-lane SOLDIER pool and only twenty-five meters long with six lanes. The grey tiles surrounding it were slick with water and the starting blocks at the far end were long worn down and a mellow shade of white. Behind Sephiroth, his SOLDIERs had taken down the hair colors and visible attributes of the cadets down by the pool and were starting a betting pool for the four rounds of swimmers. Zack was of course in the thick of it.

The coffee table in the center had been cleared to record bets, so the food was left in a pile on the desk in the far corner. Zack had brought some water over for the General, but Sephiroth had otherwise declined. He was not overly fond of the greasy food the SOLDIERs indulged themselves in. His palate was a little sensitive to that.

To the left of the pool was a row of bleachers with about thirty cadets seated on them. Strife's mop of blond hair was clearly visible next to a redhead. They were on the topmost bench in Shinra-issue swimming trunks and t-shirts. Sephiroth was just able to make out their expressions, the blond's calm and the other's a little nervous.

Zack stepped up next to him. "Cloud look okay?" Sephiroth glanced back over at the small image. One of the Thirds had planted himself on the slick walkway before the cadets, explaining the rules of the test. Sephiroth noted the man's short, halted breaths. He was probably next on rotation outside.

"He should be fine."

"Good, I'm betting on him." Zack turned away after a minute. Sephiroth continued to look down at the pool distantly; only dimly aware of what was happening both in the box and outside it.

The test was a simple but necessary one. SOLDIERs needed to be able to swim, and this was the way for Shinra to decide who needed the extra course on swimming and who didn't. It had become more than just a trial though when SOLDIERs starting betting on outcomes, and soon the cadets had taken to the competition and the pressure not to be made a fool of. Sephiroth himself had never participated. He'd had private sword lessons during it when he was a cadet.

In the peripheral of the room, partially behind a set of bleachers, was the familiar shade of blue of the Turk suit. From the angle Sephiroth was at he could just make out the black hair pulled back in Tseng's traditional style. The Turk was obviously here for recruiting purposes, just as he was here to observe. Tseng and he had a fairly simple relationship in most people's eyes. They stayed out of each other's ways, Turks and SOLDIERs stayed away as well, and that was as much as the President and his executive board cared to know.

In fact, the General and Tseng had fairly common taste in a number of things. The way their departments were run in Shinra was the one they connected on most frequently. Both ran military factions of the whole, so they had the same respect for hierarchy and similar opinions on punishments and measures to be carried out. It made it easier to deal with someone in a similar position of authority who dealt along similar lines as him.

They're similar tastes extended beyond the work realm. He and Tseng had a real respect for good, cultivated Wutain food. Many an issue between their departments had been solved over a quiet dinner. What they were also most known for having in common hadn't been spoken or announced between them, both being private men. The general belief though was their similarity of dominance in bed. Sephiroth restricted any encounters of that nature to SOLDIER Firsts, and even then it was infrequent. Tseng was perhaps a little more promiscuous, but perhaps not. Rumors were always exaggerated as Sephiroth had learned.

Zack nudged him as he and other SOLDIERs grouped by the glass. Various comments, some lewd and some appreciative, were made as the cadets stripped off their shirts and were directed before the eight starting blocks in short lines of three or four people. Zack commented on Strife's physique, how already the extra lessons were paying off. Sephiroth squished the odd feeling in the back of his mind.

Down on the deck Sephiroth could see Cloud Strife second in line in lane four. Zack pointed him out loudly as the other SOLDIERs looked on curiously. Zack's interest in the boy wasn't lost on anyone. Despite the number of jokes concerning the legal age of consent, the other SOLDIERs took careful note of the blond, aware that Zack didn't choose people just out of pity, but also out of skill. No matter how much Zack liked a good brag, he usually backed it up well and people were curious.

As was the General.

Strife had been an on and off thought for him up until the interrogation. At that quick meeting, Strife managed to become a real bother in his mind. Now, looking down on the small boy, Sephiroth let him occupy his thoughts rather than push the disturbance away as he normally would have done.

Hojo's tests and invasive questions last night had left him empty and exhausted but unable to sleep. He had stood, frozen in his dining room, still in his clothes from last night, contemplating human selfishness, greed, and need for constants through the night, and even in this room full of people the lingering shade of that void of emotion stayed with him. Strife was a welcome distraction.

The boy had been underestimated and overlooked from the start. The General hadn't even noticed him or given him a spare thought until Zack brought the kid right under his nose, and even then he'd waved off that defiance as teenage recklessness and rebellion, if stupid bravery. Sephiroth was perfectly aware of how intimidating he was to people. Then there'd been those brief run-ins, hardly a few words spoken and more said in body language than Sephiroth could ever hope to interpret. Strife was cordial but stiff, and not with the hint of embarrassment or awe so cultivated in the rest of the populace. His tension had been palpable but for some reason unexplainable. Sephiroth had looked that cadet in the eye and not seen the Cloud Strife that should have been there.

But just who had he seen? Or what?

The first shot of the gun from the pool rang loudly through the vaulted ceiling. Several of the cadets flinched before diving in, with two belly-flopping almost immediately and another almost falling off the block into the water. SOLDIERs were laughing and egging on their chosen bets like racehorses while the Thirds down below looked on with barely smug smiles. This test was always a riot for SOLDIER.

Sephiroth hardly watched them though, his eyes focused on the blond cadet standing quietly behind the block next in line, a contrast to the shifting and fidgeting cadets all around him.

The interrogation had been the most surprising and enlightening meeting of course. Kunsel hadn't pulled exactly what Sephiroth was looking for—not that the General really even knew what that was—but he'd drawn a number of disquieting and introspective ideas out. Strife was far more than Sephiroth could see, and the silver-haired man had been pleased inside. The blond would have been boring otherwise.

At the end of the first lap it was obvious who could swim and who couldn't. Three boys floundered, helpless in the ten-foot deep end of the pool, already grappling for the walls so their heads didn't go under. Sephiroth could sense the barely repressed disgust in some of the SOLDIERs.

He himself felt neither one way nor the other. Those that couldn't swim would be taught. If they were on unequal footing they would have to make up for it some other way.

After Kunsel's part in the interrogation, Sephiroth had made his own move. He wondered if he hadn't been forceful enough or if he'd been too hard, if he hadn't asked the right questions or if he'd even had any control over the outcome. It felt strange to doubt himself like that, but Strife's puzzle was a dangerous and delicate thing to be handled and a mistake in one direction meant re-tracking another five. Zack had dealt enough with that to prove to Sephiroth the need for tact. It was strange to be the one dealing with it instead of being the cause, as Sephiroth knew he often was.

The first round of boys who could swim made it back to the starting blocks and were hauled on to the deck by the next in line. Strife, as Sephiroth noticed, offered the boy before him a hand up, though he spoke no words. He mounted the block a moment later.

Zack was bouncing on the balls of his feet, muttering under his breath encouragement and luck to Cloud.

The gunshot fired and Cloud dove. It was a relatively clean dive, and he started off well. Zack's voice rose in crescendo as Cloud swam easily down the lane, outstripping his red-haired neighbor easily. He was second to a brown-haired boy in the first lane, but Sephiroth didn't particularly care. Strife's ability in the water wasn't overly impressive normally, but the General was aware Strife came from Nibelheim, a place too cold for any swimming water. With the residents of the village traveling so little, Cloud's fluidity in the water made him wonder.

Zack didn't seem to notice or care for the moment. Cloud was too far behind the brown-haired boy to win, but that didn't stop Zack from cheering him on. Money was already switching hands behind him.

As Cloud pulled in to the block and came out of the water, Sephiroth's eyes were drawn to his smooth, unblemished back. He had broad shoulders for one of his stature, with a clear line down his spine edged by muscle. His blond hair didn't quite fall to cover the back of his neck and if Sephiroth trained his eyes he could see how the water slid between his shoulder blades down into the band of his swimming trunks.

Sephiroth caught Zack's elbow before it could connect with his side. The General's eyes lingered a moment longer on the small of Cloud's back were the hint of two dimples were before pulling away to meet his Lieutenant General. Zack was watching him with some guarded emotion in his eyes. Sephiroth could almost feel Zack glancing between him and Cloud, though the SOLDIER's never strayed from his own.

After a couple of seconds, Zack turned away to dig in his back pocket for his wallet. After paying up for losing the bet, he turned back to Sephiroth, this time a smirk on his face. "Well?"

The General answered immediately, not letting his real thoughts be spoken or even hinted at. "Adequate. The ratio of those able to swim and those unable remains the same so far." Sephiroth turned away intending to head out of the box. He had seen half the showing and had work to do. The records would be on his desk by this afternoon so there was no need for him to stay.

"What about Cloud?"

Zack seemed amused as Sephiroth turned slightly to look at him. Several of the more attentive SOLDIERs turned to look at him too. Cloud Strife's name had already passed a number of lips courtesy of Zack, and Sephiroth minute interest in him had turned some heads. Sephiroth dismissed them without even looking. "You sessions will not be interrupted as it is abundantly obvious Strife does not need the classes."

Zack nodded, but he still had a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. Sephiroth turned away before he could consider it too much. Strife would make an excellent SOLDIER, of that he was sure. It was only a matter of practice and good survival skills at this point. Zack should already know what he thought of the matter, so why did he ask?

Sephiroth knew what Zack was getting at, and he resolutely turned his mind away from it. The traitorous voice in his head flashed his phantom lover before his eyes, the vague outline of a smaller man with shocking blue eyes, and then overlaid that face with a younger cadet's. The bright blue eyes turning to stare at him in front of the candy machine, the ones turned to the one-way wall of the interrogation room, the orbs that glanced over their bare back at the booth where Sephiroth was staring at the door blankly.


	19. Chapter 19

Writer's Note: Birddi has been ill and I've been slow with writing, so I apologize for the extra long wait. I promise to be more prompt on the next chapter. If you haven't noticed, Fanfiction(dot)net has changed some of the layout so the review button is more prominent on the bottom. Not that I'm hinting at anything.

I also wanted to make a shout out to LadyAquill for her review, which I appreciate very much. Since she didn't leave an email to reply to, and because this might concern others, I'm putting a quick note here. She mentioned printing out the story to read in her free time. I do that too with my favorites. The only thing I can say? Double-side the paper to save trees.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Nineteen (11-09-08)**

Edited: 05-25-10

Zack held the door open for Kunsel as they stepped into Sephiroth's office without knocking. Zack was shaking his head at Kunsel, clearly in disagreement with whatever the other had said. Sephiroth, seated behind his desk watched them walk in for a moment, contemplating on commenting about their lack of propriety to even knock when entering another's office. With Zack it usually wasn't worth the effort. Sephiroth watched as Zack took his customary seat, motioning to Kunsel to do so as well, even as he lifted his feet up to put on his desk before pausing. Zack scowled good-naturally at the strategically moved paper filer. The General hid a smile of amusement at Zack's predicament. He took great pleasure at thwarting him when he could.

Zack, his lips twitching upwards, carefully toed the filer back a couple paces. Sephiroth's elbow conveniently rested in the path, and the filer was still too close to the edge of the table for Zack to put his feet up. There was a momentary stand-off before Zack grudgingly put his feet down. Only then did Sephiroth glance away.

Making sure Sephiroth was watching, Zack shifted in his chair to put a booted foot on it, dirtying the pristine material. The General's face didn't move an inch, but Kunsel's stifled snort couldn't be muffled.

"So, Seph," Zack drawled, "how's planning for the SOLDIER Exam going?" Zack's waggled eyebrows and the way he eyed the papers on Sephiroth's desk cued the General in immediately. His Lieutenant General wanted to know all the details as he had in years past. But this year Zack was privately training a cadet. It had only happened a handful of times before—including with Zack when he was a cadet—for a First Class SOLDIER to take a cadet under his wing. Even though Sephiroth trusted Zack to hold his silence, he could hardly condone it by Shinra standards. As General he toed the line when needed but when he didn't have to, he wouldn't.

Kunsel was still standing, having ignored Zack's insistence he sit. He hadn't saluted though, but was leaning against the second chair. He spoke before Sephiroth could reply. "It's not as though your blond's gonna need more help. He's already beyond most cadets from what I've heard." Kunsel had a strange tone to his voice that Zack picked up and frowned at.

"You just need to see him in action to understand. It helps to, you know, talk to him properly." Zack sounded petulant as he spoke, and Sephiroth knew he'd taken that one personally.

Sephiroth thought for a moment Kunsel would roll his eyes_. _Sephiroth knew it to mean that Zack was being unsubtle as usual. "I've already seen enough action with him, I think. You don't wonder about that jump in skill you mentioned?"

Sephiroth put his hands together on his desk and leaned back a bit in the chair. He had officers from time to time come in to his office only to hold a conversation that he wasn't a part of. This was most frequent with Zack, and the General had long since grown accustomed to it. He no longer felt like some third audience member, but a rather amused spectator. It also gave him a lot of insight into what his men thought in more colloquial terms, as some of the formality of speaking to the General never seemed to wear off except when speaking to Zack.

"Motivation most likely. What else could it be?" Zack was dismissive of the topic. He and Zack had worn that discussion to the ground and without any notable conclusion. Sephiroth knew, just by reading Zack's expression, that the younger man was ready to help Cloud no matter what the reason for the jump. Until Cloud slipped up or something happened, the two let it sit.

Sephiroth privately thought Angeal's death might have something to do with this incessant need of Zack's, but he didn't comment on it. That moment in history was not something to be brought up lightly.

The General could tell Kunsel disagreed though. The Second Class SOLDIER was clearly trying to persuade Zack to be a bit more suspicious of it. Kunsel and Zack were close, but Sephiroth wondered if Kunsel had ever been on the receiving end of Zack's bite. His Lieutenant General was a mother Rottweiler when he wanted to be.

Clearing his throat to get their attention, he spoke. "I would be interested to know what your opinion of Cadet Strife is, Kunsel."

Sephiroth made sure to keep his phrasing and body language open. He knew they both could be quite volatile, and he'd played mediator to others before.

Kunsel didn't hesitate. "There's something weird about him." Zack looked like he wanted to comment but Sephiroth lifted his hand.

"How so?" His voice was quiet as he addressed Kunsel.

The man looked straight at him even as he spoke carefully. "There's more to him that we don't know. I thought he might be something like those child soldiers and orphans who run around stealing and harassing people, but obviously he's not from anywhere like that."

Zack relaxed a bit in his seat, probably feeling better because Kunsel didn't have anything on Cloud, but Sephiroth noticed he was still watching the other man intently. The General, however, never switched his gaze from Kunsel's, a move that he knew was needed when dealing with some of his men, determined to understand where the other's gut feeling was coming from. Sephiroth could relate to it.

"I just wonder why he wants to be so good."

Zack cut in, "Because of SOLDIER. It's his dream, like a lot of kids here, except he's going after it with more ambition than others. We should _encourage_ this sort of thing, not get all suspicious over it."

Sephiroth didn't comment on it, though the switch in focus was a little annoying. Trust Zack to jump to Strife's defense. The General still wanted to know from where Kunsel was drawing his conclusions. He knew of Kunsel's experience and its value, and the man had seen a side of Strife no one had even known about. He wondered vaguely how aware the blond was of it.

"Look, not everyone is a good guy, and I'm just saying Cloud might fall the wrong way." Kunsel was frowning now too at his old friend. This was an obvious point of divergence for them. Sephiroth wondered at why here was where they really seemed to disagree. Was Kunsel worried Strife was threatening his relationship with Zack? Kunsel and Zack hadn't seen each other in almost a year, and even then Sephiroth knew they were little more than friends that dallied on the line like many SOLDIERs. Was Kunsel invested more than even Zack was aware?

"Cloud won't. We're friends and he'll talk to me before he does something that serious and –"

"But he won't tell you who trained him." Kunsel's voice rose a bit, and it was clear he was getting a little caught up in the conversation. Zack was tense in his seat, and Sephiroth noticed how his hands gripped the arms of the chair. Kunsel had also taken a more defensive stance. "He's hiding something, and until we know what, I don't want to put too much trust in him. You don't know what he's capable of."

Sephiroth was silent, watching this development carefully.

After a moment, the tension fled from Zack's body, and his face split into a huge smile. "You worried I can't take a cadet?"

Kunsel seemed abruptly taken aback as he realized what he'd said.

Kunsel shook his head, offering a self-depreciating smile. "Not like that. You wouldn't die that easily. Have to be eaten by something most likely and digested for a month before they'd really get you." Zack smiled at the teasing before playfully reaching over and punching Kunsel.

"Then what? Cloud Strife, 5'4 and a half, seventeen-year-old, blond—AKA, blood-thirsty assassin?" Zack sniggered.

Kunsel couldn't help but laugh either, and Sephiroth's lips twitched before he could help himself. The mental image of Strife strapped to the teeth in armament stalking around some deserted alley was strangely absurd to Sephiroth. Cloud had always come off as a far subtler man. "No, no, I guess I'm just being paranoid. Don't want to lose my position or something to some upstart."

Sephiroth nodded to Kunsel at that last comment. As a Second Class and foreign-based, Kunsel had a precarious position at times that he had to deal with. He was on the brink of First Class, but there were already sixteen. Due to policy and the General's preference of a small elite force, there could only be sixteen because each was a squadron leader of an eight-man team of Seconds. Until one of the First Class' died or "retired", Kunsel would remain a Second. Despite that, he had already turned down the promotion to First Class once before, not wanting the attention. That sentiment was particularly well understood by Sephiroth.

"You won't be moved from your position until you ask for it." Sephiroth reminded him. Kunsel nodded, pleased. The General was wondering how to bring the conversation back to Kunsel's apparent unease with Cloud without drawing more fire from Zack, when said SOLDIER let out a particular loud snort.

Kunsel turned to look at him quickly. Sephiroth noted how sensitive Kunsel got about his position. "What are you laughing at?"

Zack was sporting a cat-got-the-canary grin. "Now the only thing you have to fear Kunsel, is Cloud taking Seph's spot." Kunsel smiled and barked out a laugh as Zack closed his eyes, no doubt envisioning Strife seated behind the General's desk.

The General was silent though, introspective. It hadn't ever occurred to him before he could lose his position. The General was obviously the strongest SOLDIER, and Zack still wasn't at his level even as his second-in-command, but what if one day someone did come along?

Kunsel and Zack continued to crack jokes about Strife in his uniform or attempting to wield a sword taller than him, when the fax machine jumped to life suddenly, spewing out paper, and reminded them they had come in here for a reason. Sephiroth was brought out of his thoughts, but they lingered in the back of his mind. Something to be ruminated on later.

"Seph," the General brought his focus back to Zack, "I was supposed to tell you the results for the second set of swim trials are finished. Secretary's got it." Zack got up and headed out with a wave as he spoke, followed by Kunsel who gave him a half-smile as he left.

Sephiroth sat back in his chair and tried to examine just what he thought of having an opponent really at his level, a true challenge.

_It would be a fight worth waiting for._

_

* * *

_

Reno turned in bed bleary eyed, not quite sure what he was looking at for a second. In the center of the room was Cloud doing one-handed pushups, though to Reno it was more of fuzzy oblong shape that looked to be humping the floor. As Reno's eyes focused, he could see how Cloud had that effortless up and down movement that indicated a lot of practice and strength, not to mention balance. As soon as Reno realized what the blond was doing he snorted, shutting his eyes to it.

It was like an automatic reaction. Cloud wasn't looking at him, his eyes determinedly facing forward as he no doubt counted up to five hundred in his head, or some other ludicrous number. Sometimes Reno had trouble standing Cloud. The blond was doing amazing in class and being trained by a First Class SOLDIER. He had the ambition and suddenly the talent Reno was sure half the bunker secretly wanted. It made Reno jealous sometimes, but usually he felt more relief Cloud was securely on his side.

The other cadets weren't so lucky, and there'd been some nasty pranks on Cloud. More than once the blond's shampoo had been swapped out with glue, or his whites had been washed with a red shirt. Reno had managed to stop some of them, but it was he and Dan versus forty angry and envious cadets.

Not like Cloud didn't ask for it. Reno was just fortunate Cloud thought of him as on equal ground. The blond could really get on that high horse when he completely ignored the kids who didn't try or cheated. Plus, it wasn't like he was friendly. Reno knew Cloud had the tendency to lean back against the wall and give that cool look across the crowd that just screamed arrogance.

Except, Cloud wasn't really arrogant. He could just be surprisingly hostile and blunt if you asked for help. It was why goons picked on him in the beginning, and even now they still tried. Hell, Reno had his moments too.

The redhead turned over in bed, refraining from huffing like some girl. He couldn't lie and say Cloud was some prodigy who did amazing shit and didn't lift a hand to do it. He worked his ass off, and Reno knew being angry he couldn't do the same was just stupid. It was half the reason he'd gone and talked to the blond at first. But Reno knew somebody was going to take Cloud down a notch, and even though they were friends, that didn't mean Reno wouldn't enjoy seeing a bruised up Cloud.

* * *

"Thank Gaia it's Friday." Reno flopped down on the mat next to Cloud and slowly lolled his head over to look at the blond who was running though the last movements of their form. Cloud ignored the redhead completely as he ran through the kata once again. One of the instructors passing through the gym had commented on him doing a Third Class kata the last time Reno had dropped by his personal practice time, and the redhead had been particularly immature about it, much to Cloud's annoyance_._ With the redhead's daring attitude and the fact that Reno seemingly never quite matured, even when he was a member of the Turks during AVALANCHE times, always sticking his tongue out_,_ Cloud sometimes forgot he was still a seventeen-year old kid. But it was moments when Reno would huff or cross his arms defensively as he watched that seemed well, _jealous_, that Cloud was distinctly reminded of their age difference.

At first Cloud initially wanted to just ignore it, since telling Reno to grow up certainly wouldn't help. But then well, Reno was his friend here, so Cloud made an effort to fix it by telling the redhead Zack had taught it to him, and it wasn't anything special (it was far below Cloud's old level, but nothing could be done about that yet), but that hadn't really helped. Cloud considered offering to teach it to Reno, but the redhead had already left.

At least Reno had gotten over that pretty quickly. Now he was just staring up at him with an exhausted expression, his whole body lying on the floor like a discarded doll. The redhead occasionally got the urge to go train and tried to join Cloud at least once a week. It usually ended up with the redhead collapsed somewhere just watching Cloud go at it for another hour or so. Dan had long since given up after he almost skewered himself on a practice sword when he nearly fell asleep leaning on it.

"How do you do it?" Reno had rolled on to his back and was staring up the ceiling, his face half bemused half curious. Used to these sorts of questions from Reno, Cloud didn't give it much thought.

"Practice."

"I mean, where the hell is the motivation? You're already gonna get in SOLDIER, so what's the point?" From the corner of Cloud's eyes he could see Reno's sprawled out limbs, his hands dirty from the over-used handles of the practice swords.

Cloud decided after a moment it was better to be silent and let Reno think whatever came as the most obvious answer rather than lying straight to him. He knew how much he hated to be lied to, even if it was by himself.

He'd tell him one day. Reno's loyalty wasn't easy to get, but it was solid. And with his connections and abilities, Reno was a very useful ally. The redhead would hear it one day, but not until everything was ready.

Reno laid flat on his back quietly for another minute before Cloud finished up. The blond stuck to the straight army style kata when he practiced in the open rooms, aware that though Shinra was full of variety in fighting, cadets were only taught the basic army katas. Until SOLDIER, people didn't branch out.

The blond put the practice sword away and watched Reno struggle to his feet, moving his limbs as if they had fifty-pound weights attached_. _The two left the army gymnasium, cutting down the hall from the gym and across the dirt courtyard behind Shinra Headquarters to the cadet side of the compound. The canteen was there, shaped like a square steel box dropped on to the dusty earth, utilitarian to the core. They headed inside, Reno not even bothering to wash his hands before picking up a tray and heading into line.

Cloud, used to eating whenever and no matter what was happening, followed suit.

The line was still quite long and slow moving because today they had macaroni and cheese. This meant people doubled back for seconds, and it extended the line and slowed it down when people cut in or tried to get more on their plate than was given to them. Cloud's mind drifted, ignoring how Reno shouted at some guy three or four paces in front of them who had just cut in; or Dan, who had managed to squeeze in behind Cloud a couple minutes ago.

This morning when Cloud woke up he'd been jerked awake, as if a string in his middle had yanked him into sitting up. His dreams of late had just been the latent green, like a sleeping menace.

This last dream was a little more vivid though. Getting forced up off the operating table after just being stitched up to make room for another experiment was an unpleasant sensation to say the least, and one Cloud didn't appreciate reliving. After thinking he might vomit and waiting for his black vision to clear up with all the blood in his head, Cloud had gotten out of bed fairly quickly. Exercise was a great way to clear his mind. He'd been sticking with that way of dealing with the dreams for the past few weeks.

The line moved slowly, and as the sordid details of the dream came back to him, Cloud began to balance on his toes, counting to twenty before relaxing his calves. By doing this at a steady rhythm he could effectively bury the images and sensations and focus back on the present.

The macaroni and cheese wasn't the best, but Reno was wolfing down his third helping greedily and Dan was being a little less precise about how he ate than usual. He watched them with only a mild sense of disgust. Cloud had one helping and felt fine. The dairy in his stomach didn't always settle well with him. In Nibelheim there was a distinct lack of cows or sheep, and any milk was usually from what few mountain goats wandered up to the higher elevations. As such, most kids were weaned off major dairy products early in life, and it still unsettled his stomach to have too much of it. He would never really grow out of that, he recalled, since Midgar wasn't flourishing with cows either.

It didn't surprise Cloud too much to know Reno could eat almost anything. The aptly named "street urchins" were capable of consuming just about anything: spoiled, rotten, moldy, old, thrown out, or half-eaten. They had to, if they wanted to survive. As for Dan, he was straight out of Juno and they had a more mainstream diet, and he was probably used to home-cooked macaroni and cheese. But this, a poorly done substitute, was still better than the usual gruel.

When Reno shoved his tray away and patted his stomach contently, Cloud stood up. The room was already almost cleared out of cadets, and Cloud wanted to get back. He had some written homework to do but still wanted to take a run around the track. He could spend forty-five minutes on the homework and still make the track without cramping up_._

Dan gulped down the last of his water before standing up too. "What's the rush?"

"The track closes at ten."

Dan hardly looked fazed by this comment. He was used to Cloud filling up his day with practice and training.

Reno, however, was a little more vocal. "We just spent all day in class training and then training outside, Cloud!" The blond didn't even bother to glance at him. He knew that, but there were more important things than—"Why don't you and I head down under the plate and find something to do. You need another hobby."

Under the plate was where most cadets were probably heading tonight. It was a Friday and just a handful of weeks before the exams started. Already classes were prepping for the written exam, and people were feeling the heat. Cloud wasn't as nervous for that part as he was for the physical section. He was sure to pass it this time if Zack had any word in it, but he wanted to finish the exams and move on. He had plans, things to finish.

When Cloud didn't respond Reno gave an annoyed grunt before going over to put his tray on the rack. Cloud didn't dignify the minor temper tantrum Reno was undoubtedly tempted to hold. The redhead had no idea what could happen, and Cloud didn't have time for the silly politics and antics of immature teenager boys. The world was at stake so far as he knew.

Cloud marched out, feeling more confident as he assured himself he was going in the right direction with his choices. The three left the cafeteria into the hallway and turned to the large metal door leading outside with an emergency lock system. The cadet buildings were so old many of the doors had dead bolts and key locks rather than electronic ones. Cloud had more faith in those locks than many of Shinra's more advanced security systems. He knew a dead bolt was better at keeping a monster out than any coded lock that could be hacked, or unlocked from another location. Enough of Hojo's beast had gotten out that way before for Cloud to know.

Distracted as he was by the thought of Hojo, Cloud didn't quite realize there was a crowd of cadets outside until their voices washed over him. Reno rushed over hoping to know what was happening, but Dan lingered back with Cloud. The blond didn't know what was going on, but neither did he care.

Reno turned towards him just as the group spun too.

They were a crowd of cadets, most of them nameless to Cloud though he knew they all associated with Maxwell. Bunker B was the most represented, he could see. They were gathered behind two buildings, with one opening at the end of the alley to the fields, the other to the barracks. They'd obviously chosen this position because it was relatively concealed with lots of exits.

"Strife." Maxwell's face was tight and tinted a light shade of red. He looked angry and Cloud noticed the same expression was copied on a number of faces. Noticeably one member of his own bunker was there amidst the crowd. Cloud was sharply reminded of a riot when he noticed how the boys grouped themselves behind the leader, Maxwell, and took aggressive stances.

"Not good enough to hang with us Strife? Gotta hang with SOLDIERs?" He spat on the ground and there was muttering behind him, agreements and exaggerations on what Maxwell had alluded to. It was obvious was this was.

Dan had stepped away from the blond, and Cloud realized a moment later it wasn't to flank him. The brown-haired boy had taken a more neutral stance between the parties, and Reno hovered with him, obviously waiting to see how this would break.

Cloud thought it was abundantly obvious. A little liquor and some hyping up from the group, and they were bound to start railing against Shinra, the training regime, or anything that came to mind that apparently offended their sensibilities. Cloud, unfortunately, hadn't quite realized until now how much he had alienated the others in his age group. He had dismissed them easily as shallow children, which probably wasn't smart in hindsight. He could take one of them or maybe two easily, but a group of ten or fifteen was a different game. And now he'd made an appearance they could jump on. Literally.

At least it would be unlikely they had weapons on them. Cadets didn't make much money and the slums usually had overpriced stock. Still, a knife to the gut was a twenty-minute bleed-out and death. And Cloud didn't doubt they'd kick him if he went down.

Deciding diplomacy probably wouldn't work here, not with an angry group of teenagers, being a little more aggressive might get them to back off. Granted, their group significantly outnumbered him, but stalling for authority worked just as well. Dan might actually do the "cowardly" thing—though Cloud knew it was intelligent choice in this situation_—_and get a SOLDIER before things got physical.

Acknowledging the leader was the first step to slowing them down, to show he wasn't afraid. "Gangren." Cloud made eye contact and noted the way Maxwell's eyes were beadily focused on him. They stared each other down.

Maxwell eyes flicked away first, and Cloud wasn't surprised. He was the hardened warrior here. The cadet's eyes glanced just to Cloud's forehead and then over his general attire to avoid eye contact before speaking up, "Whatever you're taking, whatever you're doing, I don't care." The people behind him shifted dangerously, a not-so-subtle reminder of their bulk, if nothing else. Cloud's eyes darted to them, taking into account the clenched fists, no weapons, counting their numbers (eleven), and noting who might be the most important to take down first. Maxwell was of course, top priority, as he was the major backbone of this mob.

Wonderful.

Cloud didn't know what to do, even as he settled his weight more evenly, discreetly preparing himself. He tried to grope for words but kept coming up blank. He could deny he took anything, but that wasn't the reason this crowd was here. Saying he just wanted to be a good SOLDIER or something along those lines would probably piss them off. In fact, anything he said would probably just make things worse. Silence wouldn't do any better than words, and he could hardly just turn around and take another route from the building to avoid them. They'd jump him no doubt, and even if he got away this would simmer below the surface. Better hope there's some way to clear the air before things got brutal. It was a stalemate until someone snapped.

Dan was poised on the balls of his feet, too caught up in the high tension of the moment to run. His hands were shaking slightly, and he was horribly afraid they would beat up Cloud or Cloud would beat them all up. Either way they would all be in _huge_ trouble because this was more than just a fight. It was going to be a free-for-all either way and everyone knew it but no one wanted to start it.

Reno, on Dan's side, was watching avidly. He'd been in more brawls than he could count, and this one was as unfair as they came. Cloud against ten brutish cadets who had fists and probably some liquor to beef them up, maybe even a knife. Dan was drawn so tight he might fly if he left now. Maxwell wasn't going to move before Cloud did and vice versa, and the ten behind Maxwell didn't have the guts to move first, so it was Dan and him who held the trigger. Reno's whole body was thrumming with energy, and he glanced at Dan out of the corner of his eye. The kid's hands were shaking, and his calves were pulled so tight they would cramp in minutes. His hair was practically standing on end, and he was already flush. He was going to snap right…

about…

now.

Dan bolted.

Cloud had hardly felt him whip by before Maxwell had jumped forward. Cloud automatically dropped to a crouch but Maxwell was quick and cheap. He went straight for a groin shot but Cloud skidded to the side and ducked another punch. Watching Maxwell for the feint, he heard the wind through clothing moments too late. Someone's first smashed into the side of head, knocking him to the ground. Immediately two boys were kicking him, and Cloud curled up automatically and rolled on to his back. Like a shot he unfurled and landed on his feet, knocking one guy to the ground.

His other leg shot out to take out another, elbowing the guy that tried to put him in a headlock. He could hardly hear the jeering or the cursing of the group as he moved, keeping up constant motion to deter them and maintain fluidity.

Dan had better run _fast_.

* * *

His breath was coming in pants, and he dared not turn around. He didn't want to see anyone getting mauled. Dan flew around the corner of the building and sprinted across the fields to the SOLDIER barracks. Just one SOLDIER would be enough.

_One person with a whistle or even just a regulation army guy, just someone._

_

* * *

_

Cloud took another shot at one cadet's kidney, hitting him before he'd registered it and dropping him like a sack. Another kick to someone's stomach had them shoved several feet away, but the responding kick to his back sent him flying forward into Maxwell's waiting punch.

The full force of that hit left Cloud dazed for a moment. He could feel a sharp pain in his nose and blood welling and dripping down his lips and chin. There was something ferocious in him as he ducked the next punch and swung out immediately with his leg, using his momentum to send a powerful kick at the attacker that was almost level with his neck. He wiped the blood away without a thought, as he evaded another punch and responded in kind.

* * *

Reno watched helplessly as the fray turned into melee of swinging fists and feet. Cloud was barely visible in the circle, only just holding his own for now. A really nasty punch by Maxwell got the blood going, along with the taunts and yelling to beat the crap out of the blond. It didn't matter to Reno that he was about to let himself be outnumbered one to six or that it was really the adrenaline talking. He wasn't thinking about the advantage of winning Cloud over more by helping him out, or some twisted sense of honor, or about how he'd prove his own strength by smashing the skulls in of nine other guys. He was thinking about Cloud getting his nose destroyed through a cheap shot.

Without another thought he launched himself right in.

* * *

Cloud noticed the redhead immediately, specifically how he was thrown into Cloud and how they both hit the ground hard. Something jarred Cloud's side, but the blond forced the pain back after a moment, annoyed now that it even took him that long. These were _cadets_. They were poorly trained, inexperienced boys looking for an easy win by ganging up on someone. Cloud could take them, he'd had worse odds before—after all, Sephiroth had to count for a small army at the least. And Reno certainly wasn't making this easy for them either if his next comment was any indication.

"Bring it bastards!" Reno charged from next to Cloud's right into a group of three guys, flailing and kicking. Cloud was fairly impressed as Reno took down two of them, inefficiently, but whatever worked, worked. The blond stared for a moment too long and nearly got knocked down again when Maxwell took a shot at the back of his knees. He was able to regain his balance, using the stumbling momentum to turn and counter Maxwell's hit. He landed a nice shot on the side of the boy's face—_definitely a black eye later_ he thought vindictively—and decided Maxwell really needed to go down.

* * *

Dan huffed as he made the final turn and the front of the SOLDIER apartments came into view. It was just the Thirds rooms, but even that was enough. As he stopped long enough to catch his breath he vaguely wondered what he was supposed to do now. Did he just go inside and shout for someone? Or should he knock? Or maybe he should go and find a SOLDIER not in the apartments?

Dan ended up knocking on the door when he realized it was a key-in and electronic lock. Still puffing a bit he hoped someone would answer, but after waiting a few moments there was nothing. He started to seriously wonder if Cloud was still okay when he thought he heard footsteps. Immediately he knocked again, louder this time, but still there was no response.

The bloodied image of Cloud rose up in mind with a grinning Maxwell kicking the battered and down cadet. Horrified at the thought, Dan shouted through the door but still nothing happened, and now he was wringing his hands and frantically looking around. He couldn't just break in, this was a SOLDIER barrack, but maybe there was someone outside?

Dan mumbled a hurried prayer to the Planet there was someone meandering around as he ran around the side of the building and to the back, but no one was in the fields out there. He wasted a moment waffling about where to go. Back to the apartments? Should he seriously run across the fields to where the Firsts stayed? What about the SOLDIER gym?

Deciding the Firsts were too far, Dan turned back and ran to the nearest private SOLDIER gymnasium. Twilight was descending and the gym was well lit and easy to find. It was also security locked like the apartments and Dan tried shouting again. No one answered though.

Finally, when no SOLDIERs seemed available, he ran back over to the regular fitness area hoping to find an army officer to get some help from. Just as he came around the corner of the apartments again, he noticed someone going inside.

"Wait!" Shouting and breathing unsteadily he ran over to the SOLDIER who was staring at him strangely. All the sprinting he'd been doing for training didn't seem to help a bit. He was completely out of breath and the stitch in his side was screaming every time he drew in a breath.

"There's… a fight… behind the c-canteen." The SOLDIER was just staring and Dan pointed back in the direction of the cadet barracks, praying to the Planet this guy would just take his word for it.

"Are you serious?" The Third looked skeptical as he took in Dan's red, sweaty face, the way he was leaning over his knees and slowly getting his breath back. "Kid, I don't have –"

Dan waved a hand at him, rudely cutting him off, trying to convey annoyance. What was this guy, stupid? Like he'd be sprinting all over the place for a joke? "Yeah. It's over there. Go, c'mon!"

The SOLDIER followed after a moment when Dan took off at a slower sprint. The stitch in his side was painful, and he had one hand rubbing it. The SOLDIER was slightly behind him, and his footsteps were even and quieter than Dan's heavy breathing and clumping boots. They made it around the backside of Shinra Headquarters before the canteen could be seen. The back was only just visible and there were still a crowd of standing boys there. Dan was horrified to see a smudge of red on the ground and for a second he thought it might have been Reno's bleeding corpse.

The SOLDIER, realizing what was going on since he probably wasn't going cross-eyed from sprinting all over the compound, darted past Dan's slowing jog to the scene. He started to shout even before he'd reached them, but Dan couldn't make out the words. The boys immediately broke up though and four cadets tried to run as Dan got closer. The SOLDIER collared two, jerking harder than might be necessary, before they could get away, and the others babbled the names of the two deserters with a little pressure.

Dan came up on the scene in horror. There were nine boys left in all, with Cloud and Reno off to the side. Reno was flat on his stomach with blood oozing from his mouth and his left ankle twisted strangely. His cheek lay against the dusty ground, and when Dan moved closer the redhead lifted a bruised wrist in greeting. "Hey ditcher. You missed the fun."

Reno's teeth were stained red and his top lip was split. Dan winced at his tone. He would have helped, really, except well… those guys were all going to be in huge trouble.

Cloud was sitting a little ways past Reno, his back against the wall of the cafeteria. He looked angry as he nursed a bleeding nose and a black eye. The blond's shirt was ripped on the left side, and the bottom left pants leg torn. Dan noticed the black look on his face and how he glowered angrily into the air. His hair was in complete disarray and tinted brown from dirt, and the toe of one boot had blood on it.

Dan could hear the SOLDIER a little ways away talking angrily on a PHS to someone. He was kicking up dirt and pacing in front of the meekly standing line of cadets.

"We lost. Bad." Dan looked back down at Reno whose mood had darkened considerably as he turned his head to look at the dirty, bloody blond. "Cloud's pissed." Reno put his undamaged hand down on the ground and pushed half his body up until he could roll on to his back. The redhead still seemed to be holding in a tightly leashed fury, and he bared his red teeth menacingly, though at what Dan wasn't sure.

Reno's front was worse than his back. His bicep was cut twice on one arm and bleeding from the shallow cuts, the sleeve completely gone. Dan could tell it must have been a knife, and he knew things would be a lot worse because of it_._ Both knees in his pants were torn and one was skinned bright pink. He and Cloud were both covered in dirt and blood and looking worse for wear.

The SOLDIER stepped towards Cloud first, no doubt because the blond looked in worse shape, and said something to him. Dan couldn't hear him over the voices of two other army guys who had come over to see what was happening. The group of boys who had started the fight, Maxwell among them, was herded together and many of them didn't look too good themselves. Some of them were hurt but overall they were more bruised than anything else. Maxwell looked nastily vindictive, even while sporting a bleeding ear, black eye, and a nasty cut on his cheek that Dan secretly hoped would get infected.

Dan turned his attention back to Cloud and the SOLDIER, more interested in his friends' prognosis. Cloud seemed to be refusing help but the SOLDIER was adamant. Sneaking a bit closer while trying to look like he wanted to talk to Reno, Dan listened in:

"I think it might be broken." The SOLDIER sounded very frustrated.

"It's fine." Cloud was his usual blank self. It was amazing he was still able to convey such frigidness even with a nasal accent from his bleeding nose.

"Look Strife, you're a mess and you need to get that rib looked at it. Even a hair-line fracture can be a real problem." The SOLDIER was exasperated and clearly not happy with Cloud's lack of cooperation. Cloud was being stubborn and obviously his injuries didn't allow the SOLDIER to really force him to do anything. Dan only hoped his friend wasn't downplaying the seriousness of his injuries.

"It's not fractured and I'm fine. Just need to get cleaned up." Dan marveled at how there was no lack of disdain in Cloud's voice, although not aimed at the SOLDIER Dan noticed_,_ as he calmly denied any help from the SOLDIER. He was still holding his bleeding nose in one hand, tilting his head up to help the stem the blood flow all as he spoke.

"And disinfected. And an x-ray or two. Lieutenant General Fair will feed me to an ochu if you don't cooperate. You might have even broken your nose."

"It's not. Just bleeding." Cloud was glaring at him as the man nudged even closer and prodded at his side. After a couple more moments and poking, the SOLDIER made a quick call to medical on his PHS and moved back over to the group to talk to the two army soldiers.

With precise movements, Cloud put both hands to his nose and with a quick jerk snapped it back into place. There was no sound, but Dan flinched at the action. Cloud's face didn't even twitch.

"What the hell are you looking at?" Reno's sour mood was only made worse when the SOLDIER shouted to the medical squad as they came running through the field, still a couple hundred yards away.

"He just… His nose…" Cloud ignored both of them, but Dan continued to stare. He'd broken a finger once and it had been _painful_. He'd cried at even the slightest movement. How could Cloud…

"Cloud's got some medical knowledge if you can't tell." Reno's sarcasm was as dry as the dust he was laying flat on his back on. Reno's eyes were unfocused and Dan wondered what he was thinking about. Did the slums have doctors? Or did Reno have to fix himself up before like Cloud had just done? Dan stared at Reno trying to imagine something so totally alien when it occurred to him that Cloud wasn't from the slums like that though. He came from a normal town.

"But where did he learn it?" Dan winced as Cloud prodded his own side, twitching only slightly when he touched the broken rib. There was a calm familiarity in his movements; Dan could see what Reno meant.

"That's what I want to know." Dan looked down at Reno as the SOLDIER moved over to him. The redhead looked aggravated and in pain as the SOLDIER analyzed his wounds.

"Your wrist is most likely sprained but that's a twisted ankle for sure." The SOLDIER probed at the back of Reno's hair carefully with two fingers. "No concussion like Strife over there. He must have a hard head 'cause being thrown into a stone wall like this one is bound to do that." The SOLDIER muttered something more about unhelpful stubborn people and deserving to get licked before pronouncing Reno better off than Cloud but not by much. Reno, meanwhile, was shooting the man a murderous look. Dan looked surprised at the turnaround in Reno.

"Medical is on the way, so don't even try to get up. Keep your arm and leg level." The SOLDIER then looked back up at Dan, who after a second straightened. "Watch them both for me. Make sure they don't leave until Medical gets here."

With that said, the SOLDIER dusted his hands off and headed over to the other boys. Seeing Cloud and Reno sitting or lying on the ground, one taciturn the other ticked off, Dan looked back over at the larger group.

In the end, Maxwell had been blamed for the start of the fight and for providing the liquor, so he was separated off to the side. Two boys had been drawn away, one seriously limping and the other moving quite sluggishly and with help. Dan had heard the SOLDIER mention the word medical again and assumed these two were the worst off. The regulation army soldiers escorted the others back to the barracks. Maxwell, meanwhile, was no doubt getting a serious dressing down by the Third.

Before Dan could sneak closer to hear what was being said, Medical arrived. Four men in crisp uniforms headed over, black bags in their hands with the symbol for the Shinra Medical Squad. The SOLDIER turned away from Maxwell to direct them to Cloud first, then Reno, before he promptly marched off with Maxwell in tow.

Dan, watching the white-coated men troop over, missed the way Cloud stiffened. Reno didn't though, and the redhead noticed the reservation Cloud treated the doctors with. He was eventually convinced to lie down and woodenly complied, before being placed on a stretcher and carried away.

* * *

Reno rolled his head to the side to get a look at Cloud lying on the hospital bed next to him. The blond had turned out to be even worse off than the SOLDIER had thought. The doctor had gravely announced to the back of Cloud's head (he had turned to the wall when they first arrived, and Reno had no idea why) that Cloud had a seriously bruised hip bone, fractured rib, broken nose, but thankfully missed a concussion. Although miraculously set right, the swelling of his nose gave that one away. Last but not least, he'd gotten a black eye to be matched with another tomorrow when the nose injury really set in.

Oh, and totally popped that huge ego he'd grown. Reno wasn't even happy about it.

_Fuck you Cloud._

He didn't even know why he was so unhappy. He'd come out pretty badly, but he'd been worse off before, and it wasn't like Cloud hadn't been asking for it. And yeah, so Reno threw himself in, but he'd sort of expected to win. Cloud had been doing pretty damn fine before he joined in, but what the hell had all that training been for? Shit, Cloud was supposed to whoop ass, not get it handed to him by a pack of Shinra-puppies! Cloud was being trained by a First Class SOLDIER, practiced every fucking day, woke up at godforsaken hours just to train more, and he still lost. The fuck was wrong with him?

Reno could feel the hot anger in his system burning through him. He couldn't believe Cloud had the audacity to lose. He raged a bit more inside, and he turned to glare at the offending cadet and say something when he saw Cloud's own fists clenched white on the sheets.

_What the FUCK am I thinking?_

Reno hardly had time to consider it before his own diagnosis came back. The doctor announced he'd mildly sprained his ankle, sprained his wrist, had two shallow cuts on his bicep from an unidentified objects—_fucking Blitz's army knife—_a skinned knee, split lip and bruising on basically every other part of him. He'd been free to go soon as they got the splints on for his ankle and wrist but Cloud would be here for a couple more days. Dan groaned even as Cloud didn't visibly react. Reno wasn't sure what to think.

The redhead propped himself up in the hospital bed, irritated that it was actually more comfortable than his bunk in the cadet barracks. As if that wasn't pathetic enough. Cloud wasn't looking at Dan or Reno in the room, just staring steadily at the wall. His lower torso was wrapped up to include his hip and he had more bindings around his ribs. Cloud was obviously seething about losing the fight, and tensed up even more with all the doctors swarming around. Reno had difficulty resisting the urge to ask why Cloud was afraid of doctors, but he successfully squashed it. Cloud was pissed off enough right now.

He wasn't angry at Cloud anymore, not as he stared at the boy who looked so much younger wrapped like a mummy and trapped in a hospital bed. Now he was just angry at himself for letting Cloud's ability blind him. The blond was still a cadet and _fallible_, that was what had eluded Reno. Cloud wasn't invincible, just a kid with no life outside training.

Yeah, and they were friends and Reno got his assed kicked for him. But like good friends, Reno knew saying anything until Cloud calmed down would probably land him here with the blond for the next week at least, even if Cloud couldn't actually get up from the bed. He could still throw things and even if had shit aim in practice Reno didn't doubt he'd manage to land a few hits where it counted.

Reno didn't get the chance to brood on it much longer. Dan let out an undignified squeak as the door opened and a SOLDIER came in. Reno had never seen him before, but the redhead had the sense to not look so arrogant from his hospital bed. This guy was Second Class by uniform and was probably here to screw them all over.

"Cadet Cloud Strife, Cadet Reno." There was a pointed moment of silence as Reno hastily saluted with Dan striking a perfect one. When there were still continued quiet, Reno glanced over at Cloud, who was staring with a perfectly blank face at the SOLDIER. Or more like executioner.

The Second Class didn't make any remark, but his silence said enough. He almost seemed to hold Cloud in contempt, though Reno couldn't be sure why.

"At ease." Reno swore the SOLDIER gave Cloud a nasty look for not saluting, even if he was bedridden, "You are both to be punished accordingly for the fight you participated in this evening." The SOLDIER stood perfectly still with feet slightly spread apart, hands relaxed at his sides. He had rolled up his sleeves to reveal a hook tattoo on his lower arm and he certainly looked like a pirate with all that messy copper hair. Reno watched him warily as the SOLDIER took in their condition, eyeing Cloud in particular. The blond glared right back at him, unfazed.

"Cadet Strife," he almost drawled the words out, and Cloud's expression might have hardened a bit, though Reno couldn't be sure. Dan was standing at attention on Reno's side of the room, watching the proceedings. "Your punishment has been issued by your private instructor, Lieutenant General Zack Fair. Cadet Reno is to be included in this punishment."

_Sweet!_

Cloud didn't look any different after that announcement, but Reno was secretly pleased. Fair would probably go easy on Cloud, and it meant Reno wouldn't have to do too much work either.

"You're to paint the outdoor, ranged weaponry shed upon your recovery. Lieutenant General Fair will be overlooking your work. If you fail to complete it properly or within the given parameters, you'll be given additional punishment." With another measured look, he turned to go.

Dan visibly gulped before speaking up before he could leave. "Sir, Mr. SOLDIER Second Class," he squinted for a moment to read the nameplate, "Stryker." Dan stumbled over the word, feeling it out as he said it. Reno was almost embarrassed for him, the wuss. "Could you tell us, sir, what will happen to the other boys?"

Stryker turned to give Dan a calculated look. Reno looked on as Dan fidgeted in place, his hands twisting the skin on his knuckles behind his back. Cloud was watching closely too. "They will be punished as befitting the crime."

A suitably vague answer, but Dan didn't ask for elaboration. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and he'd seemed to have pushed his barriers for the day. The SOLDIER flashed another sweeping look at the room before shutting the door behind him.

Reno exhaled quietly, aware that Cloud had turned his head away again, and Dan was still standing at attention like an idiot.

_Damn, but at least that guy isn't overseeing the sentence._


	20. Chapter 20

Writer's Note: HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday season. Don't get trampled during last-minute shopping, don't get too drunk off eggnog or at the New Years parties, and watch out for black ice!

Disclaimer: Just as a reminder to all, anything recognizable from Final Fantasy VII or any affiliated games or movies does not belong to me, and I make absolutely squat on it.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty (12-23-08)**

Edited: 05-25-10

Reeve really needed a new spot to meet.

The roof of Shinra Headquarters may have been surveillance free, but it was also where the wind was the strongest. Towering above all the buildings on the plate by a good forty stories at least, but as its base started atop the plate, it was seventy-plus stories in height overall. Reeve was almost surprised the air wasn't thinner up there.

He knew from experience thaton the best of days the salty scent of the ocean could be carried from a distant breeze bringing that briny smell. The wind didn't whip the right direction tonight though, in fact, in didn't seem to have any one direction at all, other than seeping through Reeve's jacket. The air instead smelled reminiscent of seagull feces, with the wind whistling up the building from the garbage dump that was the slums, officially known as Lower Midgar. He knew which direction the ocean laid, even turned to it hoping to wash out the smell of burning trash, but without a moon tonight, the inky darkness beyond the city lights was all the same.

Reeve pulled his long blue overcoat closer to himself. The wind's fingers were like ice.

The stars were out again tonight, the few visible ones twinkling dully down at him. Reeve craned his head back to look at them, wondering when the last time was he'd seen them all proper. Kalm? When had he last been to Kalm? And he wondered if Midgar would ever see the stars again.

He remained in that pensive state for a moment longer before the entrance to the roof creaked. The door eased open with the nightmarish screech of some dying animal. Instead of the stereotypical6'5 axe-murderer though, it was Reno, walking onto the roof with his usual swagger,although Reeve noticed he limped a 'd had various meetings like this for a short while now, and Reeve had grown accustomed to Reno's stubborn cockiness. The boy was certainly not the kind of manipulative person Reeve had dealt with before, and neither the sort of political puppeteer Shinra was infamous for. No, Reno had a whole different style to him that seemed sometimes childish, sometimes naïve, and sometimes downright dirty. But it certainly worked facts loose from people's lips in a way that was certainly unorthodox, nothing like the smooth or sly diplomatic charm Reeve was used to.

He'd found himself susceptible to spilling or explaining more than he might usually. Maybe it was the mix of genuine naivety and a clever ability to hide it that opened people up, but whatever the case, it undeniably worked well.

He certainly respected Reno for it, if nothing else.

As Reno came further into the light of the security lamp, Reeve was surprised to see him looking beaten up. He had a nice shiner on one eye that made him look ghoulish in the security lights.

"Hello Reno." Deciding to forgo mentioning the bruisingunless Reno himself mentioned it, Reeve opened with his usual greeting. Anyone on Shinra's payroll soon figured out that avoiding the larger issue was a time-honored skill to keeping one's job.

Reno just grunted before heavily sitting down on the ground. Reeve wondered if the boy's arse wasn't freezing, but Reno didn't seem to care for the moment.

Reeve, polite as ever, tried again. "May I assume the reason you missed our last appointment was because you were entertaining the hospital ward?"

"I've been through worse." Reno rubbed his fist against the still-healing split lip. He seemed miffed, the agitation was palpable,but he must have come up here for a reason.

"I don't doubt you have. Gang violence below the plate is a high as ever."

Reno visibly looked away, focusing rather on the billowing of Reeve's coat in another chill breeze. The redhead looked cold, but it would hurt his pride to accept Reeve's jacket. Reeve had never offered the jacket before; he had sensed from the beginning Reno had a sticky pride he wouldn't let go of easily. So, Reeve watched as the other spoke and the failed attempt to casually put his red fingers into his pants pockets. "Well, you've heard how it is."

"Yes, but you've lived it. If this," Reeve gestured over to Reno's form, "happened below the plate, then you clearly aren't well-liked."

Reno shrugged, but he seemed to be regaining some of his normal attitude. Obviously talk of his old turf, something he knew he could lord over Reeve any day, made him more comfortable."This is from a bunch of dickhead cadets. Down below, the only people who want me dead is Corneo. And he wants everyone not under his fat thumb dead." Reno muttered something else lost to the wind. Reeve smiled behind the upturned collar of his coat.

"Ah yes, Don Corneo. I have no proof of course, but Shinra and he are associated."

Reno didn't perk up at that like Reeve expected. The older man frowned. Maybe the redhead had already reached that conclusion.

Reno snorted. "There ain't no way Corneo could be where he is without Shinra backin' him up."

Well, even if Reno knew that already, Reeve knew Corneo was obviously a touchy subject now. He'd never come up before in their conversations, and looking back now that might have been deliberate even."I'm not sure how they back him, but he does keep the people under the plate subdued, does he not?"

"With whores." Reno's mumbling drifted off, but Reeve caught those two key words. _Whores huh?_ Reeve looked down at the seated Reno who had tugged the sleeves of his jacket together and buried his face in the arm of one. He looked young and angry. _Don't like whores do you, Reno? Strange for someone your age with your background._

"Well, Corneo seems to wield his power as well as the President does, if I do say so." That line was a bit risky, but Reno took it.

"Both fat asses too."

"Yes."

"Corneo's got his headman Heisa—the bastard—keeping his ring runnin'. Like the General. 'Cept Heisa seriously looks like he's got no nose when you see him sideline—musta been smashed in too many times." Reno shot the ground a dark but proud look. "I got a shot in too once."

_Headman Heisa… _

Reeve put that thought into a corner of his mind. He'd have to look at that one later. Now, before Reno clamped up, he better share something equal. Reno's distaste of Corneo needed to be complimented for the boy to speak up a little more loosely, but he knew Reno wanted information on the elusive Scarlet and Heidegger. Even though Reno had given Reeve some interesting stuff, it still wasn't worth what Scarlet and Heidegger might offer. And though Reno might pay up, he might not, and it might be safer now to use someone a little more…distant.

"Well, you're lucky you even get the shot. Many a man would like to take one at many people here."

Just the right mixture of personal anger and a hint of an insurgence within Shinra should loosen Reno's tongue a bit. Reno had that rebel attitude that Reeve had rightly guessed at before. That, and a deep-seated anger he translated into brash and rough talk that certainly belied a lot more of his character.

Reno jumped right on it as expected, smirking with a tinge of malice on his face. He no doubt was envisioning someone, perhaps the cause of his bruises and injured ankle. "Well, we all know Shinra doesn't give just anyone what they want."

"No indeed." Reno was going to have to fork it up or play this well to get what he wanted.

"If you've got a SOLDIER on steroids like the General, no one's gonna go against them." Reno's lips hinted downward, and he certainly looked letdown by the notion he'd never "get that shot", but Reeve knew it was a farce. Reno probably knew Reeve knew too. But it was so like him to play that card anyway, covering up for something else entirely. Sneaky and unorthodox, just as Reeve had thought.

"There's certainly a man the General would take a shot at first chance he got."

Reno shivered deeper into his knees. Reeve knew he was hiding a smile. "Ain't that one lucky man to actually rub the stone-cold General's fur the wrong way."

"Lucky indeed. And he has the ear and practically the arm of President Shinra."

"The General?"

"The President does defer often to the General,"—_and sweats like a cow when he's around_—"But he'll oppose him for only one man."

"That insane scientist with the glasses." Reeve nodded to confirm it, glad Reno wasn't looking his way but rather out across the roof. Reeve was quite surprised Reno had caught on so fast, let alone known that much about the Professor. Yes, Hojo had a reputation that preceded him as much as the General's in some circles, but to know him physically? Reeve had seen the man on few occasions since the war, knowing that the scientist was prone to locking himself in his labs and not leaving for months at a time.

"You know, all the scary stories have mad scientists in them." Reno looked up at him and shifted his position slightly. He leaned forward on one knee now, one leg stretched out in front of him. The cold didn't seem to bother him anymore. Whether he was warming up to the conversation or it was simply the adeptness of Lower Midgar citizens that let them adjust quickly to new situations, Reeve didn't know.

"Yes, I'm aware."

"Betcha he's just like one of 'em."

"I am afraid the good Doctor might not have such nice intentions as say, Dr. Frankenstein."

"That monster was a Doctor?"

"No, the monster in the story had no name. He was dubbed Frankenstein by readers because of his creator's name."

Reno was silent, staring at the ground. He only shifted slightly to move his hands in front of his knee. Then he glanced up at Reeve to make eye contact.

It was a relatively well-known fact in SOLDIER and throughout the higher levels of Shinra that Sephiroth was the product of Professor Hojo's "creative genius". Though no one ever said where Sephiroth had been found, it was generally assumed Hojo had taken some poor child—probably an orphan on the streets not unlike Reno—and with a lot of mako, tinkering, and personal training from day one, the child had become General Sephiroth: the prodigal leader of SOLDIER and the powerful man he was today. Of course, that wasn't open knowledge on the streets, and something many people might be surprised by. Reeve knew a lot of the populace had either never given a thought as to where Sephiroth came from (his public profile said he was born in Midgar) or how he came to be so powerful.

Reno might have doubted or wondered about those things before, but this tidbit (something he would probably have learned later anyway) certainly would seem valuable to him.

Reno certainly seemed to take it as such. His eyes were still connected with Reeve's. "There's that group, AVALANCHE under the plate." They're eyes remained together, locked. "They've got their own Dr. Frankenstein with them apparently."

Reno suddenly looked away to the doorway, then across the open expanse of the roof. Reeve wondered if Reno knew he was looking out at the sea. The boy had probably never seen it before.

"Doc's got a pet _Raven_ or two the Professor might like." Reno looked away from the ocean and back at Reeve. "The leader has a freaky tattoo on her back, and she's sick. Rumor is she's dying."

Reeve was deathly silent. That was a hell of a lot more than he'd given Reno, and he could feel some of that softness in him pleading to share something more with Reno, to even the odds. But he needed that last bit.

"There's someone inside Shinra leaking to AVALANCHE," Reeve murmured.

"No shit. And that doctor of theirs is a freak. He whipped out the nastiest cocktail of steroids so she'd live to fight the General. Heard that made her 'condition' worse in the long run."

"That fight was a draw I heard."

"Yeah, cause she was a monster."

The word hung in the air awkwardly for a moment. Reeve could feel his conscience pulling at him to say something. "General Sephiroth apparently had no desire to kill her." Goodness he was getting soft. Now he was defending a man he had implied was a bastard creation of science just moments ago.

He needed to get back on topic and give something back to Reno for that new intelligence that the Turks didn't even know.

_Ah, the Turks…_ "The Turks, especially the leader, are under suspicion."

Reno sat up and Reeve paced a bit, uncomfortable with giving out something as close to the chest as this. But Reno had practically handed him information on AVALANCHE no one else knew, and it was only fair.

"AVALANCHE's attacks are a little too close to home, a little too well-coordinated for President Shinra's comfort." Reeve spun on his heel and continued to pace back and forth. His arms were around his torso to keep warm, but he couldn't feel the cold anymore. He felt like he could more directly do something with what Reno told him than he ever had before, and he had to return the favor.

"They're sending out SOLDIER Firsts apparently to knock out some of AVALANCHE's hotspots and people. They don't leave until later this week." Reeve exhaled and stopped pacing in front of Reno. "It means the Turks are stuck here on duty while the Firsts go out and play. Seems the General's stuck too since that 'draw'. Apparently no one's happy he didn't kill her when he had the chance."

Reno's face had taken on the slightest hint of a grin that he couldn't hide as it grew.

They both just stared at each other a moment before Reno stood up and headed towards the stairwell. He paused before the door to turn back. "Since we're all buddy-buddy for a sec, let me ask you something upfront. I thought you'd be all for the end of Shinra."

Reeve sighed and looked down at the ground a moment before glancing back up at Reno. He felt he should be more cautious, but he hadn't been able to say these words aloud, well, at least not to something that might respond back. He couldn't find the will to care for the moment."Some of the Seconds sent after them were mauled by unknown creatures, summons it was said." Definitely those Ravens, Reeve knew now. "That kind of violence… no one wants that for a replacement. At least at the moment there's equilibrium."

Reno nodded faintly in the starlight. He was mulling it over from the look of it. "I would have thought _you_ would at least silently support AVALANCHE."

That had befuddled Reeve when the topic of the terrorist group came up in previous conversations. Reno had always leaned a bit away from their side, which made Reeve wonder why, and whether perhaps AVALANCHE's image of "freedom fighters" and not terrorists to the slums people, wasn't as right as many in Shinra had silently guessed.

Reno leaned against the doorframe, trying to look cocky even as he carefully kept the weight off his bandaged ankle. "Shinra can fall when I'm on the right side of it. And right now, I'm in the middle."

With that he turned and headed down the stairs. Reeve stayed on the roof for a couple more minutes thinking it through, then wondering what exactly to do with the information he'd been told. He didn't doubt Reno's sincerity, not for a moment tonight.

Reno wasn't always perfectly reliable. His sarcasm got in the way, and undoubtedly he wasn't as used to compromise, if his normal involuntary question for a smoke was anything to go by. That had tapered off, in much the same way one weaned a child off begging for his mother, after several meetings.

Reeve wondered sometimes how much Reno was catching on. The boy had never been a pro at this, but he was certainly getting better at dealing the right cards with the kind of higher-class tongue-twisting that essentially made Shinra. Reeve shook his head slightly to clear away those irrelevant thoughts. AVALANCHE was his main concern for the moment. Perhaps a note slipped under the General's door?

* * *

Elena leaned forward even more on the low wall of the roof, straining her eyes through the binoculars to see. That was definitely Reeve Tuesti, but who was the redhead?

* * *

Saturday. The blessed weekend. And what was Reno doing? Serving punishment. Like self-defense was some kind of crime in the military.

Reno scoffed as he and Cloudtrooped out to the field, heading towards the ranged weaponry shed. It was, of course, the farthest building in the fields from the canteen. He hadn't done any exercise all week since he'd been banned from practice classes—not that he could have participated anyway with his sprained ankle. After a weekend in the hospital and a week of sitting out, he was only marginally happy to be doing something. He'd tried to visit Cloud in the hospital, shamelessly admitting he was bored, only to find Cloud wound up tighter than his own fricking bandages. He'd been no fun at all, totally stiff, and Reno hadn't been able to tell if he was still angry about the fight or something else.

Cloud still wasn't entirely back to normal, but he was at least better now that he was out of the hospital. What Reno had been planning to tell Cloud soon as he saw him had ended up getting pushed farther and farther back—mostly because of Reno's second-guessing, and partially because Cloud was scaring him a bit with his moodiness. At least that trauma was over.

It had been eating him since Wednesday night when he talked to Tuesti. The man had dumped some serious shit on him (not that he hadn't done the same), and Reno needed to share. There was no way he could keep this one down. Of course, that sentiment was wonderful and all, but Reno had actually stayed up Thursday night wondering if he _should_ tell Cloud.

The blond did admire the General with either hero-worship or a serious crush at least, but either way, no one liked to hear their hero/crush was made by a crazy-ass scientist. But then, Reno reminded himself, that he loathed ignorance, and that was something he and Cloud had in common, so wouldn't Cloud rather know? Even if it made him angry at Reno, the redhead would be forgiven in the end. It's not like Cloud appreciated being left in the dark.

Still, it wasn't totally convincing to Reno, so he'd fine-tuned it Friday with an offer. He'd tell Cloud first about the Ravens, so Cloud could go warn his First Class SOLDIER friend who could tell all his buddies, and then tell Cloud about the General. That way, he wouldn't be starting out empty, but already have a couple good points in.

That decided Reno slowed his walk down, hoping Cloud would take the cue. Cloud might take a brutal pace, but Reno knew he wouldn't be able to keep that up for long. Cloud's gait was still stiff from the fractured rib. The black eyes from his broken nose had disappeared over the week, though Dan had commented quietly that Cloud looked sleep deprived, or at least overly tired. There was still some tape on his nose, but Cloud had been checked out (Shinra probably held them only as long as they couldn't walk or wheel out) with only a warning not to partake in any physically activity for "awhile". Which in Shinra standards still meant far too soon to be healthy.

They both slowed down though, and Reno prepped himself for what he was going to throw at Cloud. He wasn't ready to tell the blond he was talking with Reeve—Cloud might not like that, Reno wasn't sure—so he thought it safer to just not mention a source.

"Cloud." The blond turned to look at him. He was tired, that much was obvious from the pallor of his face and the bags under his eyes that Reno knew weren't remnants of two black eyes. The blond hadn't been sleeping, and Reno empathized. He had some nasty times where sleep was the last thing he could do—whether he wanted to or not. "I found something out."

Cloud didn't say anything for a moment, but he did start to walk again. Quickly, like he usually did. Except now he angled his walk closer to Reno, as though trying to find a private moment for them. He turned his head from side to side to check the area, even going so far as to glance behind them quickly. Reno, used to Cloud's paranoid quirks, let the blond do as he saw fit.

When he nodded slightly at him, he knew he was clear to talk. "You've got that First Class friend right? Well, I know he's your friend and, see, I heard something…" Reno felt a little sheepish talking like this. It wasn't until he and Reeve had spoken that he occurred to him he could even mention this to Cloud and pass it on. He felt a little like some kind of double-agent passing on information like this, even if Reeve and Cloud weren't really on opposite sides—or aware of each other at all.

Cloud didn't physically cue him to continue, but his expression had softened a bit from his harder tension. That was good enough for Reno. "The Firsts are being deployed to do something about that nutsy group AVALANCHE."

Cloud didn't say a word but his eyes flicked to Reno's."I've heard about these 'Ravens'. Nasty monsters they are. Flying, mutilated, fight with claws, all the shit."

Cloud stopped walking. He turned to look at Reno over his wrapped shoulder. He seemed hunched a bit, unsure. "What do you want?" The words were curt, but Cloud's tone wasn't. He was a little confused even though it didn't really show. But there was also a dangerous tension in him ready to spike at the wrong words.

"Who said I want anything?" He didn't sound nearly as cocky as he did usually. Reno had wanted to be angry and to feel affronted that Cloud expected him to be a self-serving bastard like that when they were friends, but Reno had a nasty feeling that's what Cloud had been going for. Bastard.

Cloud didn't respond. It was obvious there was some part of him that understood that life in the slums was about number one and that there was no charity. Which was weird, considering Cloud's mountain-village background. _Not important right now,_ Reno thought. "Alright alright, so I found something else out too." He wasn't going to fight that perception. He actually felt a little proud Cloud hadn't taken him at face value, which was bizarre because Reno usually relied on that."I found out the General is Professor Hojo's experiment. Well, I mean, like, he made the General what he is, with all the mako and super-SOLDIER junk."

Reno urgently looked at Cloud's face, wondering if he might see Cloud breakdown or something. Which would be a sight in itself, but it also made Reno a little nervous. He hadn't exactly broken that one nicely.

But the blond seemed fine, completely unchanged.

"Everyone knows that Reno."

Reno's jaw almost dropped but he managed to catch himself in time. "You already knew that?" Had Reeve screwed him over? _No… _This was Cloud flashing that weird edge he'd had for a while now. Was that on purpose for Reno to pick up, or unintentional? Or was 'everyone' a set group of people? Was Cloud a part of something else? Reno couldn't believe how many questions exploded in his head at just that simple comment.

"Every SOLDIER gets mako from Hojo." Cloud looked a little angry as he stopped and fully turned to stare at Reno. Reno had the sudden thought that maybe Cloud was attempting to defend the General when Cloud's second comment threw that one out the window. "The whole of SOLDIER is his science experiment."

Reno wanted to ask something like "then what the fuck are you trying out for?" but all that came out was, "But the General's different."

"He's just stronger than they are." Cloud was walking fast now, and Reno was starting to feel some strain on his ankle. "Takes mako better or something."If that wasn't a complete dismissal of the topic Reno didn't know what was. He considered briefly attempted to continue it, then figured there might be another angle he could work later.

"I can't believe they don't put that on the application form. 'Warning: If pass the SOLDIER Exam, will become the side-project of mad scientist.'" Reno knew his totally lame attempt at sarcasm was pretty bad, and it showed.

Cloud didn't answer him though, another voice did. "Shinra doesn't put a straight label on anything. Ever look at the fine print? Says 'see article 493C of the Archives for further information'. Only Shinra officials with written permission and the board of directors have access to the archives."

Cloud and Reno approached the building where Zack was standing. He was smirking at Reno who was eyeing him. To the unspoken question Zack answered, "Your voices carry."

The First Class SOLDIER looked smug at Reno's peeved look for responding to a conversation he wasn't a part of. Reno knew he was crazy popular among the SOLDIERs, but that didn't mean the redhead had to like him. Which was childish but entirely true.

The SOLDIER didn't linger on Reno too long, preferring to look at Cloud. He had an openness to him that probably drew as much as repulsed introverts like Cloud, but clearly Zack had too much magnetism to resist (Reno liked to think Cloud was coerced into the friendship sometimes, but he knew better). There was certainly a magnetism to this First Class, a charisma and charm that was probably three times more deceptive than any manipulation.**  
**

Reno glanced at Cloud to share a raised eyebrow look, but the blond was staring at the shed. He looked uncomfortable to be here, and Reno glanced at the SOLDIER before looking back at Cloud. Clearly the fight hadn't been discussed yet between them. Reno shrugged though—not his problem.

Reno then looked over at the shed too and realized the damn thing was bigger than he thought. It was long and thin, not too high though neither he nor Cloud was particularly tall. There was a stacked pile of paint cans in a neat pyramid to the side, half the height of Reno. This might take a while.

"Alright you two, you got lucky. Defeat in battle is the real punishment." Reno wasn't even paying attention. He was eyeing the decorative figurine above the door of the Shinra logo and wondering if that was real bronze. He could probably sell it or get it melted down for something. "You've got all weekend to paint the entire exterior of the shed. That white paint over there is primer. You'll put the other coat on once it dries tomorrow."

Reno looked away from the figurine and back at the SOLDIER who was grinning at him knowingly. "If you screw up the job you'll get a proper punishment through the chain of command. Which won't be pretty because I know the guy who'll give it to you, and he's a bastard. So do it right. And nothing should take a little walk and go missing." The damn man even had the audacity to wink at him."Cloud, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Reno let them walk away around the corner of the shed as he looked around. If Cloud's expression was anything to go by, he was glad he didn't have to answer to that guy. Zack—_that was his name wasn't it?_—seemed like a real charmer and genuinely nice. But those guys were the ones who surprised you by suddenly turning nasty, and there's nothing worse than seeing the blacker side of someone you couldn't see it in before.

Not that a little part of Reno wasn't curious to see if Cloud would tell his SOLDIER friend what he'd told him._ They better not be gone long though, _he thought,_ I ain't doing all this by myself._

_

* * *

_

"How you feeling?" Zack was looming over Cloud protectively, hovering like a mother hen. He didn't even mention the fight, just going straight for his usual main concern, which seemed to be Cloud's health: mental, emotional, and physical. How Zack encompassed all that in one question Cloud had never quite figured out.

"Fine Zack, just a bit stiff."

"Ah well, you should've taken advantage of laying in the hospital for a week. Unless you get a leg ripped off you won't be in there longer than two days as a SOLDIER."

Cloud flushed before he could help himself at Zack's easy assurance of him being a SOLDIER. Some part of Cloud still doubted he would make it, still expected the failure he suffered before. Zack's wholehearted support and reassurances were new this time around, and they still caught Cloud off guard. He didn't like to admit it, but he craved hearing those acknowledgements from Zack, to hear the words come out his mouth so sure, surer than Cloud ever was in life.

Which reminded him, he should probably warn Zack. Reno's words had initially made Cloud suspicious—what were his ulterior motives? If Reno had gotten defensive or angry, Cloud might seriously have considered withholding the information from Zack, but when Reno had just sighed and not bothered to comment on it, Cloud truly wanted to think Reno had done it out of friendship.

Setting aside Reno for a moment, Cloud had been horribly surprised to hear about AVALANCHE's movements. He hadn't realized how far alone they'd nothing too drastic would change. Was Barret a member yet?

Cloud took a deep breath, looking at Zack's face as the SOLDIER examined and gently prodded his torso wrappings. "Zack, I need to tell you something." Cloud stopped Zack's impromptu examination. His friend looked down at him with curious, generous eyes. His breathing was even, his mouth quirked ever so slightly at the corner. His eyes, Cloud noticed vaguely_, _were a different kind of blue than his own, more water rather than sky. Cloud took a moment to take in the features: the playful smile on his lips, the locks of black hair that dangled just in front of his face, his bright eyes, that thin white scar just below his left ear.

Cloud breathed out and looked down at the ground. "I heard the First are going to be sent out after AVALANCHE."

Zack didn't hesitate to try to put his mind at rest. "You don't have to worry Cloud." Zack's hand landed on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "You know I'll be fine. Seph will kick my dead carcass' ass if I let something kill me that easily."

Cloud carefully put his hands into his pocket to stop himself from wringing them. "I know, but see…"

"I said don't worry Cloud." He was almost cutting him off, and Cloud felt a little down at that. Didn't Zack want to hear this from him?

Zack had been absent from the hospital and hadn't even come to see Cloud. It had bothered the blond more than he liked to admit, aware that his attachment to Zack could become very clingy very fast. But surely Zack, the ever kind, ever concerned friend, would visit him in the hospital? Why hadn't he?

Cloud shook his head quickly to clear away those thoughts. He knew little about Zack's childhood and early years at Shinra, but he'd heard and read about the events that almost broke his best friend. The Ravens were just the first step towards that, and that was most likely what was taking up Zack's time. It was a shaky excuse, but one Cloud held up nonetheless. He'd seen the nasty scar Zack's "friend" had inflicted, heard the pain in his voice in that one debriefing audiotape found in the rubble, and Cloud felt unsteady when he thought of how little he could do. He'd been incapacitated and hidden away from the doings of AVALANCHE and the world. This was the least he could do for his friend.

Before Zack could get another mindless reassurance in, Cloud started."AVALANCHE has these monsters with them. They've got a crazy scientist who made them based off information about SOLDIERs." It came out in a rush, but Cloud felt the uncomfortable tightness in his chest relax just a little. Zack would be prepared, and that was half the battle.

Zack was silent for a long moment. "Cloud." After a beat Cloud looked up to make eye had a faintly disapproving air that immediately made Cloud feel bad, guilty even. The SOLDIER had not moved at all, and yet he seemed to have taken a step back and assumed the rank he really was. There was a distance there hadn't been before."How do you know this?"

Cloud's eyes flicked away immediately. He had hoped Zack would just take his word on it. That had obviously been too much with all that he was withholding already. Zack wasn't stupid, far from it."They're called Ravens, probably because they can fly or at least have wings. I don't know how many there are, but not much." The first AVALANCHE wouldn't be destroyed for a couple of years if Cloud had the time right still, so these early Ravens were probably just the beginning of them.

Zack put his other hand on Cloud's bicep, holding him there in place. Zack had taken some of the cold edge off, but they still were far from where they'd been moments ago."Cloud, how do you know this?"

Cloud swallowed. "I heard it from someone."

"Don't feed me that crap, Cloud." The blond stiffened at the rebuttal by Zack. His words were sharp, and Cloud immediately felt a great welling of guilt inside. This was Zack, the last person he wanted to lie to, and yet the first person he had to. The blond didn't look away from his the grass off to the side; aware of the chastising Zack was laying on him without words. Was he hurt that Cloud didn't tell him the truth?Or was he just suspicious of him? "Look, I'm sorry Cloud."

Zack lifted one hand and ran it through his hair. The tension didn't entirely break, but Zack seemed more normal, if stressed."Can you at least tell me who you heard it from?"

Cloud hesitated. He didn't really want to sell-out Reno, but he didn't want to screw up what he had with Zack any more than he already just had. Zack or Reno? "Reno."

"Ah of course." Cloud caught the slightly relaxing of Zack's shoulder, the fleeting look of relief on his face. Cloud felt a terrible duality at that: guilt towards Reno, elation towards looked away for a moment, before pulling Cloud suddenly into a surprise hug. "I'll take your word for it." He ruffled Cloud's hair a second before letting him go and walking off.

Cloud watched Zack go, feeling strange and indefinable inside. He wasn't sure if he'd done the right thing, and yet he felt he had. That information could save lives, and yet, what had he done?


	21. Chapter 21

Writer's Note: Here is it finally, Chapter you have the time you can reread the first eight or so chapters. I watched Advent Children again after ages, and with all the work on Green Dreams, things make a lot more sense. So I updated those chapters a little, rewording and whatnot, and I will be doing the others when I get the chance. So keep an eye out!

Much love and thank yous to all the reviewers. You all deserve a hug.

Edit: Important note at the bottom when you finish reading.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty-One (02-05-09)**

Edited: 05-25-10

Cloud pulled on a thicker long-sleeve shirt for the autumn chill. The wind in the slums had as nimble fingers as the pick-pocketing children did, and they always managed to find their way to his skin.

He was in his bunker with Reno, who was lounging on his bed with his arms tucked behind his head. The redhead had on a sweatshirt and thick socks with a hole in one toe. The bunkers weren't heated or air conditioned, so the cadets were subject to the whim of the weather. And with winter rapidly approaching, the temperatures were really dropping at night. Cloud was long-used to cold nights. He'd lived in Nibelheim throughout his childhood, and then in the desert, where it could be below freezing at night and dangerously hot in the day.

They had finished the painting by mid-afternoon, much to their relief, and Zack had swung by to double-check their work and ask if Cloud wanted to head into Lower Midgar with him.

Despite Cloud's desire to hang out with Zack, and the fact that he wanted to visit Aeris again, he was still a little reluctant. He'd overheard something last night that any thought of Zack made Cloud a little grumpy and a little embarrassed.

Reno coughed pointedly and Cloud ignored him, pushing that particularly thought back where it came from. He had already explained why he was leaving this Saturday and why Reno couldn't come. The redhead hadn't looked too miffed or hurt, but he still pounded the topic of Zack to death. "Doesn't your Firstie have to go off and fight AVALANCHE?"

Cloud sighed. Reno's inherent nosiness would probably never go away—and that was both a blessing and a curse sometimes. But right now it was giving him a headache. Reno seemed to be suspicious of Zack, and Cloud didn't want to know if it was jealousy or just Reno's occasional paranoid behavior rearing its head. Again. "He doesn't leave until tomorrow. Which is why we're going today."

Reno turned back to look at the top of his bunk. His mattress creaked and groaned under him, and his black socks were flat against the wall. The beds were quite short in the cadet barracks—even Cloud couldn't stretch out. "Sunday's a weird day to dispatch troops."

Cloud didn't dignify that comment with an answer. Reno had already exhausted this topic before.

The other cadet snorted at Cloud's stubborn silence while he laced up his second boot. When Reno's eyes remained on him, Cloud finally looked up, starting to get really annoyed. "They don't actually go out on the field on Sunday. They just get assignments, teams, equipment together, etc. Which is why Zack needs to go down to Midgar."

Reno looked like he wanted to open his mouth, but Cloud didn't wait to hear it. It would undoubtedly be crude and he had to get going if he wanted to make the next train. He stuffed his wallet into his pocket and swept a quick glance around the room. He had his knife in his boot, the switchblade he owned now in one pocket. His Shinra ID card was in his wallet, which had some Gil for the train ride and dinner, though Zack was likely to treat if he got the chance. He didn't have a scarf or gloves, and he couldn't remember why he wouldn't have brought those from home, but no matter. Feeling the cold was psychological really. Ready to leave, he headed out the door without a glance at Reno.

* * *

He met Zack down at the station, where the First was casually dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt with a vest over it. Unlike Cloud's dark colors, Zack boasted a green shirt in an eye-catching shade and a light brown vest. It didn't matter to Zack that he stood out—being a SOLDIER on its own was usually fairly distinctive. Only Thirds ever really did undercover work; that was more of a Turk thing. It was hard to disguise a First—people could usually inherently tell they'd been enhanced and gave them a wide berth, something no one quite understood. Most assumed it was the level of mako inside them. People were limitedly connected to the Planet, and it seemed to be enough to sense SOLDIERs.

Cloud had gotten the same reactions once upon a time.

The blond didn't even step on to the platform before Zack's hand was ruffling his hair and he was already talking. "Cloud, we're going to pick up some great food from this restaurant I found for tonight after I get my stuff done. They do a lot of this heavy meat stuff—food you mountain boy should recognize. Beef stroganoff's a specialty there I think."

Cloud's mouth almost watered as his mind immediately drew an image of his mother's homemade broth. He hadn't had the heavier, meatier food of the colder regions in _years_. More than years, _a decade_. The fair was so different from the lighter food Midgar imported, or the dairy, seafood, or wheat products of most other towns, that his hometown's style of cooking was hard to find. Trust Zack to think of something like that. All thoughts of before disappeared, and Cloud fully relaxed in their warm friendship.

His thoughts went back to dinner, and Cloud had a flash of his old bowl painted with rabbits before the train came into the station in a screeching cacophony of sound that made sure any conversation was impossible. Cloud realized belatedly that he hadn't bought a ticket, but Zack had two in his hand. The SOLDIER grabbed Cloud by the elbow and steered him into a seat before he could open his mouth.

"Don't worry about it. I was a cadet too you know, and I know you guys are living on pocket-change."

Cloud closed his mouth and figured it prudent not to mention that he had pocket-change for spending whereas some people in the slums really _did_ live on pocket-change. Zack knew that, and Cloud knew that Zack had hardened himself to the sights of the slums just as Cloud had done years ago.

Cloud refused to consider what might happen to these people if Meteor never freed them. It was not something he wanted to think about on an outing with Zack.

Cloud had been planning to make this trip to Midgar for a while in fact, but he had never found the time to do it. After the first instances with his new adeptness with materia, his realization of just how much power he had with it grew. However, that didn't equate to control, and after nearly melting the floor of a practice room by accident, Cloud had decided it was simply safer not to rely on materia right now. Materia wouldn't be a major part of the exam anyway, so it wouldn't matter too much if he neglected that part of his training.

Normally, if he wanted to practice materia he went out into the desert. But he didn't have the independence to go train wherever he wanted yet. It didn't mean he couldn't figure out what it was though. Now that he was healed from his injuries and had free time, he was going to Aeris to see if she knew what it was all about.

And Zack was making this easier than Cloud expected. The SOLDIER had explained, when he invited Cloud out, that he had some errands to run, and he would be on his own for a little while. Which was exactly what Cloud needed.

The train rattled to a grinding halt, the force of the momentum almost knocking several people over.

They walked to Wall Market together, Zack sticking closer to Cloud than was strictly necessary. There really wasn't a way to lighten the mood is this dismal part of the slums, but Zack valiantly tried. Cloud didn't pay much attention to his words though, keeping his eyes forward. He didn't look at the children that scurried by barefoot, or flinch at the stench of the trash heaps that were making his eyes water.

Zack's eyes, he knew, were focused on him to stop them from roving. Cloud's situation years and years ago had allowed him to master the ability to ignore what was happening around him and focus on one thing, but Zack was never capable of that. Not a trait many SOLDIERs had, but an admirable one nonetheless.

At Wall Market Zack didn't visibly relaxed, but he did finally pull his eyes off Cloud. The blond felt mildly relieved as the feeling of eyeballs glued to his face left, even as he understood why Zack had been staring.

Anyone recognizably from Shinra was not welcome in the slums, and as a SOLDIER Zack couldn't hide it. By not making eye contact, he didn't have to see the resentment and loathing in people's eyes, and Cloud knew Zack was sensitive and empathetic to how they lived. He hurt inside for them, but he was also not in the position to help.

They had just crossed the perimeter into the market place when Zack's arm tightened across Cloud's shoulders, drawing him in closer. Cloud was about to ask Zack about it, when the SOLDIER casually steered them to the left, the darker-haired man subtly looking over Cloud at something. The blond picked up on it and slid his eyes over in time to see Barret, his gun-arm swinging as he trundled along, cut through the crowd.

Cloud's eyes were riveted to Barret as the man trooped by. He had to consciously suppress any visible reaction so as not to alert Zack, forcing himself not to turn his head as the man walked past. He lowered his eyes, aware that he hadn't been thinking much on AVALANCHE. They had been as close as possible to being his family, and though he had hardly ever visited them, it had been because he knew they were just fine.

But here… Barret had looked pissed. His face had been set in a scowl, his cheeks faintly colored—Cloud had worked with him long enough to spot it even under his dark skin tone—his good arm was clenched, and the muscles of both biceps and forearms had been tight with protruding veins. His gun-arm swung in a dangerous arc, and he'd radiated ferocity.

Cloud hadn't realized the crowd had toned down or backed away at Barret's passing until their voices surged up again when the AVALANCHE member was safely out of Wall Market. Cloud felt like an hour had passed when in reality it had been seconds. He raised his eyes back to Zack's, whose own eyes lingered on the gate before he turned back to Cloud all smiles. He rubbed Cloud's hair affectionately before the blond could duck out of the way. "I'll meet you back here in an hour. Don't eat since we'll be picking up that food as promised. We'll eat in my apartment—the place is too small for tables. And don't spend too much gil!"

With a quick wave and a big smile, Zack trotted off into the crowd. Cloud waited for a moment at that spot, making sure Zack really was gone, then summarily turned right back around and walked out of Wall Market.

He wound through the playground, full of children on a Saturday, though children would be here all week because the school system under the plate was so poor. He walked through the garbage dumps and through the wall, past trash heaps and dangerous electrical wires lying on the ground waiting for a baby to gnaw on where the rats had not. It was a dangerous world in the slums, but Cloud was, unfortunately, familiar with it.

* * *

Aeris' church looked exactly the same as it had the last time he had been here, still an island of serenity in an otherwise chaotic and dark world. He could see the beams of sunlight through the lone hole in the plate shoot down and into the church, like the Planet had punched a fist through the metal and stone just so Aeris could have her flower garden.

This time he didn't hesitate as much. He knew more or less what to expect.

He pushed open the heavy oak door and strode down the aisle. The stone angel standing beside the altar had its arms open wide to greet him.

The room was heated with the sun, enticing a pleasant shiver along his spine. The flowers at the end were like a great pool of beauty, spilling out around the stone and rotting wood. He remembered this place so well.

Almost reverently he sat in the second pew, half afraid to step into the flowers for fear of crushing them. Aeris had always been able to walk amongst them without hurting a single blossom, and Cloud had done so on occasion, but he felt heavy now, clunky. He wasn't sure why.

"Ah, would you like a flower, Cloud?"

He sagged a little into the pew at hearing her voice. He hadn't quite realized he'd been afraid she wouldn't come.

"Yes, one please."

She whispered by him, her leather boots as soft and quiet as silk. She meandered amongst the flowers looking for just the right one, leaning her hands down sometimes to brush her fingers along the satiny petals. They almost seemed to stretch to touch her, and the sunlight danced around her like a fairy.

She plucked one and carefully murmured something softly to it before handing it to him. With the utmost of care, he took the flower and admired it for a moment, before reaching up and tucking it behind Aeris' ear.

She smiled softly at him, like a mother looking over a child, and Cloud had the distinct impression that the Planet was looking at him too. But then he blinked and her eyes were the fresh green that was Aeris and Aeris alone. His love for her was overwhelming, and he felt full and warm because of it.

She settled down in the flower grove now though, her skirts spreading out around her until she looked like the pink queen of flowers in her garden. "It's wonderful to see you, Cloud."

He nodded quietly.

"I suppose you didn't just come here for a flower?"

He leaned back in the pew and stretched his legs out in front of him. He rubbed his hands down his face and tried to muster what he wanted. The sheer purity of this place was a balm on his soul, and he didn't feel like anything could bother him here.

"I- my magic. It's more powerful than before."

Aeris smoothed her skirt out with both hands, smiling down into her flowers. She petted one gently as she spoke. "The Planet knows more than you can imagine, and yet can only guess. But a more natural… boost was the only thing the Planet could offer."

Cloud tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, staring at the patterns made by the rafters and the cracked roof. He could see the nest of what must be a bird, and the jagged edges of the hole that let the sun through.

"It's to help me?"

"Yes." Aeris' voice was soft, pleasant.

Cloud didn't need to say anymore. He didn't know if the Planet was trying to make up for something, or if it knew he would need that ability with materia later, but if the Planet was offering, he would accept. He had a healthy respect for the Planet now.

Standing up from the pew took more effort than usual, the strange peace of this place lending lethargy to his limbs. But he stood and carefully walked into the field of flowers until they gathered around his boots. He thought of how her church had changed after the triplets turned it into a pool of water, how the flowers rimmed it and their petals would congregate on the surface.

And Aeris was swimming in them. When he thought of it that way, he could feel the coolness of a different lake again: a darker, deeper one; her gentle weight in his arms; how her dress billowed around her as he let her drift to the bottom with his tears accompanying her the way down. He felt like he was standing in that lake again, looking down at her peaceful face, eyes closed as she rejoined the Planet.

He had deliberately not thought on those memories in many years. But as he stared down at her now, as she beckoned to him with a single motion to submerge himself in flowers, he was able to look back on it with a degree of respectful distance he hadn't dared to think he would ever achieve.

* * *

"There you are Cloud!" Zack threw an arm around his shoulders, squeezing them. "Where'd you wander off to?"

Cloud pressed a little closer to Zack, remembering that memory of him leaning against the doorframe of the church. It had assaulted him as soon as he turned to go from within the small meadow: Zack with a smile on his face as he stood with Aeris while Cloud looked on. Being with Aeris in that church reminded him of those memories, those beautiful ones buried under all the bad.

"Just found a quiet spot."

Zack ruffled his hair with the hand on his shoulder before guiding Cloud into a different part of Wall Market. "We don't have time today, but sometime I'll take you to this church. There's the sweetest girl there. I dated her for a bit you know—but Shinra and her don't get along, and it didn't work. Still, she's beautiful and there's no place more peaceful than that church."

Cloud held back the 'I know' and settled for a half-smile.

They walked together through the streets, the day failing as the lights when on. Shop owners lit lanterns outside their stores, and the crowds subtly changed from families to couples and working men.

Zack seemed to know where he was going, and Cloud basked in the feel of Zack's powerful arm across his shoulders, protective, as the man had always been.

"Here we are!" Zack beamed as he pulled his arm off Cloud and opened the door. The blond followed him in, ignoring the sudden cold across his shoulders.

* * *

Reno grabbed the darker-haired man's arm and twisted, unbalancing him from where he hovered over the redhead, effectively pulling him down on his left side. Quick as he could, Reno slipped out from under him and attempted to slither off the bed before the other could get up, only to have him flip over and, like a snake, slip his leg around Reno's waist, pushing him flat on his back on the mattress again.

They'd been going at it for some time, no one quite able to get the upper hand, though Reno knew that like every other time, Tseng was just playing with him.

Tseng was a bastard like that.

"Get off me you- mmf!"

Tseng chuckled before shoving Reno's head into the pillow. "I have every right to detain you. Again. You did break into my rooms."

Reno tried to buck futilely, but Tseng's grip was like iron, and he had one leg straddling both of Reno's effectively trapping him. He was going to bruise—again—because Tseng couldn't play nice.

"What the hell do you want?" Reno deflated back into the bed. With Cloud out for the day and Reno left with nothing to do, after a couple of beers, a shot or two, and some pumping up from the other drunk cadets, getting a gander at Tseng's guns had sounded like a fantastic way to kill some time.

Of course, Tseng was supposed to be in his office like he was every other day, but the _one day_ he wasn't there was the day a slightly tipsy Reno decided to break in.

And Tseng was even more of a bastard now than he'd been before. Reno thought the interrogation had been the worst, but Tseng had never gloated quite like this before.

The man shifted, sinuously brushing the length of his body against Reno and the redhead blanched.

"Fuck no!" He immediately renewed struggling. He was not whoring himself out for this. Let them do another interrogation or whatever, he'd take the General over this!

Tseng was laughing, Reno realized belatedly, as he gave up twisting out of the grip. The man had this low laugh that wasn't quite mirth so much as mocking, and Reno was miffed as the Turk put his free arm on the redhead's back and reclined there, perfectly relaxed. Like he didn't have an angry Reno subdued under him.

"What did you think you were doing, Reno? What was I to think?"

Tseng started laughing again, and Reno resolutely didn't shiver. The guy had it all wrong. Angrily the cadet opened his mouth to mention the guns, when he realized suddenly how bad that was going to sound. He'd sound like a thief or, worse, like he was making some sexual innuendo. And Tseng _would _take that the wrong way. On purpose.

Reno promptly shut his mouth. He wasn't giving this bastard _any_ ideas.

"Hm? No answer?"

With surprising agility, Tseng was able to slip Reno's knife from his boot, cut through the seams of the cadet's coat, slicing through it like butter because that was a _fucking expensive knife_ and discarding the jacket a moment later. Reno cursed into the pillow but didn't dare move. He knew that knife because it was his, and it was razor sharp.

Tseng carelessly tossed the knife to the floor and it landed on the carpet with a small noise. At Reno's revived attempts to free himself, Tseng tsked in the back of his throat. "I will let you go if you tell me what you were attempting to find in my room. And how you knew these were my rooms at all."

Tseng pulled the redhead's head up by his hair, allowing him to speak. Reno gasped, "Didn't know they were your rooms."

Reno was panting for air, but Tseng had a genial smile on his face, the scary kind that screamed how much he was enjoying this. _Sadistic bastard!_

Tseng shook his head, and he pushed Reno back down into the pillow. Immediately Reno started fighting back again, but he still couldn't break his grip, though he kicked up frantically trying to dislodge Tseng's leg.

Tseng was forced to half-straddle Reno to keep the cadet's legs from getting free. Still, he managed to lazily run a hand down the redhead's spine, over one hip, and ghost down the back of his left leg, running along his clothes with a lover's touch despite how much Reno was fighting. Much to Tseng's amusement, Reno could help the shiver that ran up his spine, though he attempted to roll to the side to escape it. Tseng laughed breathily.

"I'm asking you again, Reno."

When the redhead came up for air this time, he didn't even try to meet Tseng's eyes, though he looked just as angry as before, perhaps with a mixture of embarrassment in there as well. "I tol' you, okay?"

Tseng noted how his accent had gotten thicker, and his voice wasn't nearly as sarcastic as before. He was still trying to sound angry, but it didn't come off nearly as strong as before. Looked like he'd found Reno's weak spot.

He pushed the redhead back into the pillow, still locking both the boy's arms with one hand. This time Tseng brushed away Reno's ponytail before putting two fingers against the back of his neck. Then, with great precision, he made sure to run those fingers down every bump and dip of his spine, going slowly enough for Reno to squirm. This time he didn't swivel his fingers away to the redhead's hip, but kept a straight line right for Reno's-

"I heard 'bout your fuckin' guns and I wanted to see 'em!"

Reno sounded mildly hysterical as the Turk's fingers came to a slow stop right at the rise of Reno's backside. _Interesting…_

"My guns?"

Reno turned his head to the side away from Tseng. His breathing was harsh, and he looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Yeah. Can you let me go now?"

Tseng's lips curved up. He ignored the plea and the temptation to twist Reno's words into a bad sexual insinuation. "I am afraid I only have one on me at the moment. I would be willing to show you if…"

He let it dangle knowing Reno would take it the completely wrong way. Just to add a little more spice, his fingers on Reno's lower back began to drift just a little lower.

Reno squirmed even more. "No way. No way."

"Please," Tseng was terribly close to laughing again at the way Reno tensed at his deliberately pleading tone, "you mistaken me," He corrected before Reno's heart gave out. The redhead's breath came out in a whoosh before he could help himself. Tseng chuckled. "Though I'm not adverse to that sort of payment," Tseng was very much enjoying teasing Reno, "I do wonder how you've heard of them."

The response was immediate. "Slums. You hear things."

"Hm… I'm not sure I believe that." Tseng breathed out as he leaned over the redhead, just quick enough to see the boy's Adam's apple bob as he gulped.

Teasingly slow, Tseng made sure to drag his entire body over Reno's back and buttocks as he came over the redhead to be on the side Reno's head was facing. Making sure Reno could see him now; he let the boy's hands go.

Almost immediately Reno rolled on to his right side, rubbing his wrists mutinously. He made to get off the bed, but Tseng unbuttoned his jacket swiftly, laughing lightly at Reno beginning to turn a startling shade of red, before he opened his jacket to reveal a holster with a gun. Reno, his face still pink though the red was already receding, stood on the other side of the bed. He tensed instinctively at seeing the gun, but the Turk pulled out the solid black weapon and held it out for the redhead to see.

He was going to say something more, but Reno was staring at it in awe. His previous embarrassment was totally forgotten. "That's the Beretta automatic with thermal sight _and_ loadable two ways. How the _fuck_ do you shoot that thing with one hand?"

Reno looked like he wanted to reach out and touch it, but Tseng pulled his hand back. "Ah, ah, ah. You've got your wish. You know quite a bit about this gun, so tell me, where might a cadet and… slum-boy have picked that up?"

Standing while Tseng was sitting didn't give Reno any sense of security. Tseng was on the side of the bed with the door behind him, and the man was too fast for Reno to slip by. And answering was out of the question. Reno was no rat that was for sure.

"I ain't tellin'. Would 'I forgot' be a better answer?" He tried to adopt a casual pose of arrogance, but Tseng just laughed at him. _Bastard_…

"Come now Reno, we both know how… adept I am at interrogation."

Reno wanted to say that wasn't true, that Tseng didn't interrogate, he molested people and sniffed out lies like a fucking fiend. He couldn't lie to Tseng—the man had some kind of freakish radar for lies. Reno had prided himself on his ability to talk himself out of things, but Tseng was a bitch to lie to face to face. He made the redhead nervous, and heck, that was enough to catch any liar.

"That's because you're a damn cheater."

Tseng carefully holstered the gun as he stood and smoothed his pants out. "You won't leave I'm afraid, until I know."

Reno tried to continue feigning disinterest while he wondered about Cloud. _How the fuck _had_ he known?_ Reno would bet anything only Turks and dead men had seen that gun.

Maybe Cloud was actually a Turk?

Didn't matter. Reno still wasn't telling. No one was interrogating Cloud until he got the first swing.

"No–"

Tseng was up in his face in a second, pushing Reno up against the wall. The Turk's had two warm fingers in Reno's belt cuff; he could feel the heat from the digits even through his pants. Tseng jerked him a little closer that way, and even though he and Reno were about the same height, Reno felt very small as Tseng casually smoothed out Reno's shirt with his other hand. He could certainly fake disinterest a lot better than Reno. But he wasn't the one being _molested_ either.

"You see Reno, you shouldn't think of it as tattling. Children tattle. You are an adult. And adults know when they've lost."

Reno, unnerved by the proximity and getting angry at Tseng for being such a fucking perv, lashed out, "Fuck you Tseng, you can–"

Tseng's mouth was unforgiving against Reno's as he took his free hand and curled in around the boy's ponytail, pulling hard so Reno bowed his back and let Tseng take more of him. He pulled on the belt loop until he could feel Reno's hardness against his own. The redhead made some vague attempted at saying something, but Tseng's tongue was right there, and Reno stopped thinking all together.

When Tseng's fingers followed the waistline of Reno's pants, spreading molten warmth along his skin, Reno seemed to regain some semblance of control. He tried to bite down twice on the other man's tongue, even turning his head to get away, but Tseng was hardly letting him breathe let alone move, his hand on Reno's hair tugged unmercifully if the redhead tried to shift away.

It wasn't until Reno pulled Tseng forward by his jacket that he had his chance. As soon as their chests touched, Reno shoved the Turk away, actually managing to make Tseng stumble for a second.

The redhead was panting, his mind a blurred mess of, "_what the fuck_" and "_holy effing Planet_". He touched his lips to check if they were wet and really bruised, and by the time he looked up, Tseng had collected himself. Somehow behind that blank façade he looked smugger than before.

Reno felt his face get hot as he realized the Turk wasn't even flustered. That was so _wrong!_ He knew Tseng swung that way—hell, the man been groping him since he'd tried to pickpocket the Turk in the hallway—but Reno sure as hell didn't. Any man getting rubbed up against like, like… _that_ would react.

Tseng took a step forward, and Reno wanted to back up but he was already against the wall. Tseng reached up and Reno's mouth went dry, but he only unbuttoned the top three, enough to show off the lean muscle of his chest, before he discarded his jacket and loosened his tie. His hair was mussed up and his lips red, and he looked so goddamn edible… Reno's mind stuttered to a halt.

_Sorry, Cloud._

"Cloud. He told me. Now let me the fuck out of this room!"

Tseng tsked even as he smiled. He shook his head and took a couple more steps towards Reno. The redhead had no qualms about pressing himself more firmly against the wall, but Tseng simply went and sat on the bed. "A pity. Well, as promised you may leave. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon enough."

Reno would have run out of the room if Tseng weren't just sitting on the bed with that… _look_. A look that did _not_ belong on a man's face.

The redhead skirted around the bed, taking careful measures not to touch Tseng or be anywhere within reaching distance, before bolting through the living room and slamming the door as he ran out.

Tseng sat there in his bedroom, admiring the tousled sheets on his bed. He rolled the taste of Reno around his mouth before padding out to the living room. He pulled out pad of paper and scrawled out two words:

_Moonshine_

_Cloud

* * *

_

The restaurant and train ride back had been uneventful. Cloud had hardly been aware of where they'd been going, just breathing in the familiar spices and scents of the food. The man at the counter had been an easy-going fellow who jumped at the chance to talk about his hometown. Zack had immediately said Cloud was from Nibelheim, much to Cloud's embarrassment, but the owner instantly launched into a discussion about mountains and when the best time was to set up traps, and Cloud was actually able to add something to it, though Zack did most of the actual talking.

They got out of there with a discount. Zack left an outrageous tip before Cloud could even reach for his wallet and they walked back to the train station with Zack asking easy questions about Nibelheim and then telling his own stories.

The night had almost been perfect until now.

Cloud was walking with Zack back to his apartment when another SOLDIER came down the hall. The blond recognized him immediately, and he fought down an embarrassed blush with a grimace. He had hoped to never see this particular SOLDIER again.

Zack grinned before dangerously swinging one of the bags of food as he waved to the man down the hall. "Kunsel!"

Zack jogged halfway down the hall to his door where he met up with Kunsel who was heading towards the elevator. Cloud trailed behind, playing up being a nervous cadet even though he was sure no one was buying it.

"Kunsel, this is Cloud, Cloud this is Kunsel. He's a Second Class SOLDIER who's stationed at Mideel." Zack turned back from Cloud to the copper-haired man, "You're headin' back tomorrow right?"

Kunsel smiled, his lean face looked open and genuine, a sharp contrast from his harsh appearance in the interrogation room and later in the med wing. Cloud didn't like it one bit. "Nice to finally meet you, Cloud. I'm sure you're aware Zack brags incessantly about you." Cloud tried for a half-smile to be normal, but he was sure he'd mangled it badly considering his thoughts. The interrogation, the hospital, and now last night made for a bad impression. Kunsel looked away after a second.

"Whatever you're eating smells good. I'd steal a bite, but I'm late as it is." Cloud didn't visibly show any sign of relief, but he certainly felt it.

Zack looked dramatically disappointed of course, but he laughed it away easily. "That's fine. Another time. I'll see you before you leave tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll see you then. Nice meeting you, Cloud." With a cheery wave, the SOLDIER walked down the hall.

It was like the interrogation hadn't happened, and as far as Cloud was concerned that was fine. But he still glanced over his shoulder discreetly at Kunsel, feeling unaccountably angry with him for another reason altogether.

"Come on Cloud, the food's getting cold!"

Zack's apartment was truly lived in. His kitchen was on the left as Cloud stepped in, and even from the doorway he could see how the dishes were a mess around the sink, and the countertop was stained a variety of colors from all sorts of spills Zack had never bothered to clean up. Cloud pulled his boots off at the door even as Zack strode in without a care.

The SOLDIER dumped the bags of food on the counter and dropped his own shopping on the floor of the living room. Cloud could tell one had two materia in it from the glow; there was a visible canteen, but what else the blond couldn't make out. As he pulled out Styrofoam containers from the food bags, Cloud wandered in a little deeper. He never felt all that uncomfortable in Zack's apartment, probably a side-affect of Zack's influence. The man could make anyone feel wanted.

The living room was just behind the kitchen and the biggest open space. It had one long glass window that had a stunning view of the desert and the mountains in the distance. There was a brown suede sofa and a comfortable chair with a glass table in front of them. The carpet was cushy even though there were a variety of random things strewn across it, including cleaning supplies for weapons, and plenty of shoes.

Zack hummed as he pulled out the food. "Cloud, can you get some glasses from the kitchen? Just dig around 'til you find some."

Cloud nodded before heading into he kitchen and rummaging around before pulling some blue plastic cups from the back of a cupboard. "What do you want to drink, Zack?"

The SOLDIER crumpled the two bags into a wad in his fist as he looked up. "I think there's some soda in the fridge."

Cloud found the soda and poured some out for them both before he went back into the living room and took a seat on the couch.

The couch was perpendicular to the window and faced two doors, one the bathroom the other the bedroom. Zack's bedroom door was wide open, and Cloud could see a disaster area of clothing and odds and ends on the floor.

Zack flopped down next to him on the couch with two plastic forks in hand along with a metal knife. "I figured a plastic knife wouldn't do the job."

Cloud took the plastic fork with a half-smile, then dug in.

The food was delicious of course. Cloud was fairly sure it wasn't the same as Nibelheim's style—the restaurant owner had said he was from closer to North Corel than Nibelheim—but Cloud couldn't remember what his own home food was like. Either way, the consistency and taste of the food was familiar in his mouth, and Cloud savored it happily.

Zack seemed to have no complaint either as he ate with occasional sounds of approval. After a couple of minutes of just eating, Zack toed his boots off and scooted back on the couch sideways until he could sit cross-legged while reclining against the arm. Cloud turned halfway to look at him.

"Is your hometown food like this?"

Cloud swallowed before putting one leg on the sofa to look at Zack better. "Yeah, it's similar. The spices are a little different, but this is really great."

Zack smiled as Cloud ate some more just to remind Zack that he was very thankful for the dinner. The SOLDIER didn't often fish for compliments, but a straight thank you was never as good to him as seeing someone's gratitude.

Cloud swallowed another couple of bites before he spoke. "What's food in Gongaga like?"

"Hm?" Zack picked up his container and set it on his lap, not even wincing at the heat. "Gongaga? Fruity I suppose. There's a lot of fruit in the jungle, or everything got some kind of coconut or lemon sprinkled on it. Pan-fried is really popular too. We eat strips of meat in meals though—with a lot more veggies and stuff. Nothing really big and good to eat lives in the jungle," Zack paused, and Cloud noticed his vacant stare for a moment. The blond wondered what Zack was recalling. "Nothing like your Nibel wolves."

"We didn't eat them. Bad luck."

"Really?" He scooped another bite into his mouth before smiling at Cloud again. "Your people real superstitious?"

Cloud shrugged. He hardly remembered anymore. "More or less. It depended on what though."

"Huh." Zack seemed to chew thoughtfully before changing the subject. "How have classes been?"

"Fine as usual. Mind-numbing mostly."

Zack chuckled, "Yeah, that's the way I remember them."

"The exams are soon so they're pushing us. I'm sure you already know that."

Zack smiled widely at Cloud. "You'll do find. No one in Shinra could let someone like you go, Spike. You're already a SOLDIER far as I'm concerned."

Zack exaggerated compliments went unheard as the Cloud's imagination conjured an image of him in Red XIII's cage, trapped in the labs while Hojo stood outside the glass chamber laughing. No one would let him go indeed.

Something of what he'd been thinking must have shown on his face because Zack leaned forward, putting his nearly finished dinner on the table. "Everything alright, Spike?"

Realizing Zack's concern, Cloud shoveled another bite of food in. Zack didn't go away though, so Cloud chewed slowly before finally speaking. "Yeah."

He tried to sound glum, and hoped Zack might mistake his mood for sudden nerves. Zack scooted closer and lifted Cloud's food away from him before settling next to him, one arm around his shoulders. "You don't have to worry, Cloud. With all the extra training you've been doing, you'll be fine. I wish I could give you a hint or something, but Seph's being real uptight about it." Cloud leaned back on Zack's arm and absorbed his warmth. He hardly heard the supportive words as Zack kept speaking, "…you know Kunsel, the guy we met out in the hall?" Cloud blinked as Zack's picked up in speed and volume. "He barely even passed the first time. Seriously, he fumbled the most important part, and the only reason they passed him was because they needed more SOLDIERs after the war and he was halfway decent. You're way better than he was, Cloud; so don't worry so much. The only thing you should worry about is what you'll be drinking when you come here to celebrate getting into SOLDIER!"

Zack smiled fondly and ruffled his hair, and Cloud smiled back, but he wasn't thinking about parties and exams. Kunsel: the interrogator, the SOLDIER, the guy he'd overheard with Zack. His face came up again in Cloud's mind and this time his voice too. Every time he thought about it, it just got worse.

"_Tonight's no good, but I can do Friday."_

"_You better make it worth it. It's been months."_

_Chuckle. "Aw, I missed you too, Kunsel."_

_Tussling, Zack might have been ruffling Kunsel's hair, but the moan that followed was anything but._

"_Don't you dare, Zack. You know I hate to be left hanging."_

"_Impatient as always. Well, you know I'm a broom-closet sort of man but I can settle for empty conference room…"_

_A couple low groans and some murmured words, then the sound of a zipper before Kunsel's voice cut in loudly. "Planet I hate these quick ones."_

_More muffled grunting, then Zack's voice: "Too late now."_

"Hey, Cloud!"

Cloud blinked as he realized Zack had been saying his name and had finally resorted to shaking him. The blond flushed bright pink as he realized what he'd been thinking about. The anger fled in the wake of his embarrassment.

"You okay, Cloud? You totally spaced on me there."

He mumbled a quick apology in the hopes of Zack letting him off, but the SOLDIER reached out and with two calloused fingers touched Cloud's cheek. "You're on fire, Cloud." He smirked before slyly adding in a low tone, "What were you thinking about?"

One glance at Cloud's horrified face and the darker flush on his cheeks that spread quickly to his ears and neck, and Zack threw back his head and laughed deep and full. "I'm only kidding, Cloud. We all know you're squeaky clean between the ears." Zack laughed again and reached out to ruffle Cloud's hair.

The blond had barely had time to get himself together before Zack leaned in and asked in a conspiratorial whisper, "So, is that a girlfriend we're thinking about bringing to the celebration party? Someone you dropped by in Midgar when I had my back turned?"

Cloud could feel the red seeping into his cheeks again and how his face was burning. Zack just gave him a lopsided smile. "Or maybe it's a boyfriend?"

Cloud this time ducked his head to hide the even darker blush and stop the errant thoughts before they could fully form. Zack didn't laugh this time but pulled his arm tight around Cloud and tucked him into his side. It was a brotherly, friendly action, but Cloud tensed under it.

Zack ignored the blond stiffening under him and pulled him a little closer, before popping both his socked feet on the glass table, perfectly relaxed. "Don't worry about it, Spike. Most of SOLDIER is bi at least. Mako makes it hard to have a normal relationship, and trust me, when the scientists give you the little 'talk' on safe sex with mako, you won't sleep with a woman for years."

Zack's accompanying shudder wasn't able to crack a smile out of the blond, but Cloud did relax a little. "So you got nothing to worry about. Plenty of SOLDIERs have casual and long-term relationships you know."

_Like you and Kunsel?_ was the traitorous thought, but Cloud stuffed it down. For some reason he was uncomfortable with Zack being with anyone else like that, even angry, but Cloud wasn't even sure he felt that kind of emotion for Zack anymore. Sure, the SOLDIER was handsome and very friendly, but after everything Cloud had been through, well, he knew Zack more intimately than anyone else. Now he was just _Zack_.

"Don't sweat it, Spike. I don't suppose you've been up to anything here have you?"

Cloud shook his head and relaxed deeper into Zack's embrace until he was practically slumping, his legs stretched out in front of him under the table. The SOLDIER smiled down at him. "Save it. Mako gives a SOLDIER a _huge_ libido, so you'll be getting plenty of offers down the road so you can be picky. And you can always crash at my place if it's too much or your roommate's getting frisky."

Zack winked at him and laughed, and Cloud smiled slightly. "You know, you make a good pillow, Cloud." Zack abruptly snuggled into Cloud's head and pretended to throw his other arm and a leg around Cloud like he was some overstuffed teddy bear. "I think I'm just going to sleep on you."

Cloud tried to shift from the strange entanglement of Zack all around him, but the SOLDIER was heavy and he wouldn't budge.

"Zack let me go."

He snored.

"Zaaaack."

Zack pretended to snort in his sleep before continuing to snore ridiculously loudly.

"Aw c'mon Zack. You're heavy."

Nothing.

"The moment I get out I'm taking that stash of strawberry shortcakes in your kitchen with me."

Zack sat up immediately. "You wouldn't Cloud!" He tried to look horrified, but his lips were twitching with the suppressed need to laugh.

Cloud put on his best poker face. "I would."

Zack tried for the panicky look, but he couldn't hold his huge smile in. Cloud managed to hold his own strict face for a full three seconds before he too smiled.

* * *

Writer's Note: People seemed to be confused as to what "moonshine" is. **Moonshine** is a common term for home-distilled alcohol, especially in places where this production is illegal. (Courtesy of Wikipedia.)


	22. Chapter 22

Writer's Note: Finally the SOLDIER Exams! This is the major transition to the next part of the story where _[Birddi cuts out the summary of the rest of the story]_ and then Green Dreams will be over. Except... not for awhile yet. Major thanks to Birddi for being the most fantabulous beta alive, and thanks to all my reviewers who make the world go round.

Edit: Some of the formatting issues when I posted have been cleared up. Thank you Robin Autumn and Etrixan for telling me about that.

Disclaimer: I make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty-Two (03-24-09)**

Edited: 05-25-10

General Sephiroth made no secret of his distaste for office work.

During the exams, this disgruntlement was magnified until it became utter loathing because of the exponential increase in paperwork that landed on his desk.

Propping his elbows on the paper-covered desk he rubbed at his throbbing temples. His eyes were starting to ache from squinting at tiny print, and he dug the heels of his hands into them before pulling back. Mako seemed to do wonders for any other pain but tension headaches.

Sephiroth decided he needed to work in a spar today. He'd been sitting behind this desk for the past two weeks without reprieve except for sleep, meals, and chastising Zack when he got lazy. He'd even given up going to the vending machines when they started getting low on everything—the first thing to go was Snickers of course. The exams would begin on Monday, and then he'd have a legitimate excuse to be out of the office.

But until then… There was a low knock on his door. Frustrated at the thought of more paperwork being delivered, he bit back a low groan and instead called in a quick, "Come in."

The door was shouldered open by a blond head.

_Strife…_

Sephiroth felt his previous headache drifting away as a new one came to replace it. Strife was ever a puzzle, which Sephiroth would have delighted in taking apart if he'd had the time to. Perhaps when the exams were over…

"Sir, this is from Zack." Strife held up the brown, cardboard box in his hands a little higher as though Sephiroth couldn't see it. The blond stood patiently before him, his face not showing any of the strain of holding what had to be a heavy box. In fact, Strife was perfectly polite whenever he came in for Zack. He rarely made eye contact though and there was something about the formality that was…detached.

Which bothered Sephiroth. That layer of coolness over all of Strife's interactions with him was absent when he was with Zack or amongst his friends. The General wasn't sure what that distance between them was, and he felt instinctively it was more than just rank.

"Just put it in the corner and I'll get to it later."

"He says it's urgent, sir."

"In the corner will be fine. I have plenty of 'urgent' memos that come before that." Sephiroth deliberately disregarded Zack's box, knowing the man in the next room down would be annoyed to find his delivery was being dumped for later. It was just a little reminder that sometimes people had other priorities than fun.

"Sir…"

Sephiroth wondered if Strife would back down. No doubt Zack put him up to this, but he wondered how far the blond would push the wondered if Strife thought he had the same leeway over him as Zack did, being the First's right-hand man practically. Would that make him bolder?

Strife chewed on his lip for just as second before speaking up again. _Good_. "General sir, Lieutenant-General Fair ordered me to make sure you opened it."

The formality was a little irksome, but Sephiroth had never stopped him. The General supposed he could, but he somehow doubted Strife would heed it, even as an order. The thought cheered him up a bit as he leaned back in his seat to really look at the cadet. Strife didn't fidget, but he didn't look directly at him either, rather looking out the window behind him. He liked to see the cadet's backbone, though he wasn't sure why it manifested when it did. He didn't make eye contact, but he also went directly against his words. It was a strange combination.

Strife began to chew on his lower lip again and Sephiroth's eyes were drawn to it. He felt the slightest inclination to smile at the unconscious action, but a deeper reaction in his gut forced him to look away. He would not name it.

"Bring it here."

Strife complied and slid the box on to the table, exhaling at the weight left him. He stepped back but made no move to leave. The blond had always dismissed himself after delivering whatever it was without being asked, and the first time he'd done it the General had been a little surprised. Most Firsts had that privilege, but Seconds often waited for direct orders. It was another little thing Sephiroth had picked up on. He'd even mentioned it to Zack, and the First had just laughed. This time though he didn't leave, which probably indicated Zack had told him to stay.

The box was unmarked and taped together with Hello Kitty scotch tape—undoubtedly from Zack's desk. There was only one First who signed every form with bright-colored pens and bought Hello Kitty scotch tape and actually used it. Opening a desk drawer he pulled out a box cutter and sliced away the thin tape. His audience of one watched him in silence. The box immediately opened like some cardboard flower, and inside were perhaps a hundred Snickers bars.

…_So this is why the vending machine has been out._

Sephiroth calmly stared at the entire box of them for a moment, before lifting his eyes up to Strife. The blond didn't seem surprised. He'd probably put the box together considering Zack could be perfectly inept when it came to the strangest things. The man could put up any kind of camping tent there was, but had trouble wrapping presents.

"Please inform the Lieutenant General that his…gift has been received." Before Strife could move though, he added, "Wait a moment."

Standing up, he put the box in the corner of the room before retrieving another empty box from a pile of them. Sephiroth did not like clutter, but it was inevitable during the exams, and he made due despite the claustrophobia. Lifting up one stack of paperwork, he dropped it into the box before carefully stuffing more in the sides around it. Once it was completely full, he closed the box and masking-taped it together.

Sephiroth handed it to Strife, giving the boy the slightest hint of a smile as he did. "Please also inform the Lieutenant-General that if he has enough time to raid every vending machine on the compound, then he has enough time to complete these."

Turning around he crossed back to his desk but didn't sit. Now that he'd stood up he didn't want to sit back down to work again. For the briefest of moments his eyes shifted to the box of Snickers in the corner and then to the blond still standing there.

The General thought Strife might have wanted to salute when he shifted the box, but after a nervous twitch of a smile, he nodded and turned, leaving the room and walking the whole five feet to Zack's door. Sephiroth just shook his head.

_Anyone else and it would be hazing.

* * *

_

"Well, did he open it?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"He said, 'If you have enough time to raid every vending machine in the compound, then you can do all this.'"

"What? That's why I sent _you _to get all those Snickers!"

"I know."

"Well, Cloud, have a seat. I'm going to teach you the finer points of paperwork."

"You're not serious." _Isn't that illegal?_

"Cloud, the art of paperwork is to skim for specific words. If you see 'Scarlet', 'Hojo', anything to do with the science department in fact, rip it in half and toss it in the garbage can. Now, this is Sephiroth's signature. Notice all the perfectly circular loops. If it's addressed to him, sign his name. If it's addressed to me, scribble something that has a big 'Z' in the front."

"…"

"I'm _kidding_ Cloud."

* * *

"Shinra SOLDIER cadets, the SOLDIER Examinations will begin on October eighth. Each class has a written exam that _will not_ be curved. Failing any exam can put you at a serious disadvantage for the physical examinations."

The cadets in the gym shuffled their feet at that proclamation. The exams had been long in coming, and finally people began to understand that this was where their dreams stood the chance of failing.

Cloud was in a corner of the cafeteria with Dan and Reno. Dan, of course, looked suitably terrified, while Reno looked nonchalant. It was perfectly normal behavior for Dan and Reno to be at complete odds. Cloud didn't care much for the written exams, he was more concerned with the physical one—the one he'd failed before.

"The written examinations begin Monday and will last one week. At various intervals a bunker will be taken for mako testing. Any and all cadets who fail this automatically fail the exam and cannot retake it."

The silence in the room was deafening. Dan might have gulped. Cloud had known this was coming of course, but it had seemed like a distant trial, a sun on different mountains. But it was here now.

"The week following this marks the beginning of the physical examination. Those of you who remain will be given more information at that time. SOLDIER wishes the best of luck to you all." With those parting words, the SOLDIER First exited the gymnasium, and the room erupted in talk.

Dan immediately launched into a distressed monologue about study schedules and color-coding his notes, Reno loudly remarked he might go clubbing tonight, and Cloud stayed silent. His blue eyes watched the other cadets distantly, trying to piece together records of what had happened before. It was…depressing.

Dan had been on his team, he remembered that much. He didn't quite remember how they failed, or what exactly happened except that within the first three hours they'd been ambushed somewhere tight and the whole team had gone down. Cloud had been mortified by it ever since.

They had three days until the written exams, and no more than seven days to a mako examination. Cloud didn't remember what this entailed, not anymore. He couldn't even remember his own results. He'd passed though, but this time might be different.

* * *

Zack had come to cheer him up on Monday morning for the first exam, explaining that he wouldn't be around much for the rest of the week since he left in an hour to deal with AVALANCHE. He'd stolen some of Cloud's bacon (well, what looked like bacon) and threw it away from him warning him about the food. The blond didn't dignify that with an answer.

Zack had given him a one-armed hug right there in front of everyone in the cafeteria, much to Cloud's embarrassment, before taking off with a jaunty wave. The blond had taken one look at Reno's wiggling eyebrows and dumped the rest of his breakfast.

Cloud had taken the test without worry. In the end he made up a lot of the theory based on his own experiences, but he wasn't concerned about it. That was what the theory was based on after all. Despite all his calm during the test, he'd come pretty close to panic when they left the test room. Two SOLDIERs and a doctor were standing outside, ready to lead them to the prepared labs. Cloud automatically stiffened at the sight of the doctor in his white coat.

Their bunker was first for the mako examinations.

The other boy's faces reflected nervousness and curiosity, but Cloud could feel sweat breaking out on his skin. His heart was pounding, and he took in small sips of air to try and fruitlessly stay calm.

They were led through the labyrinth of Shinra's buildings and herded over to the medical building, a large, white structure with the typical Shinra logo pasted above the door. Cloud lingered at the back of the group as they squeezed through the door, before the boys were ordered to line up.

"This is the mako examination. We expect your full cooperation in this test. Results will be determined on site. Those of you that fail will join the ranks of the regiment army at the beginning of next week with extra privileges. You will not resume the written examinations." The stiff-necked SOLDIER concluded with a short nod before standing aside for a doctor.

Some of the boys grumbled about the weight of this test, but it was the most important one for SOLDIER. Shinra didn't waste mako, so only the cadets who lasted the year of training could take it, and if they failed then that was the end of the line. Joining the army after training to be a cadet did have its advantages—better pay, training room privileges, etc, but it still didn't beat SOLDIER.

Cloud instinctively tensed as the man pushed his glasses up his nose. "W-welcome cadets. All you need to do i-is stand there." He spoke quickly and stuttered,but Cloud hardly listened as his eyes focused on the stains of chemicals on his hands, and he could almost smell the acrid stench. He forced the bile down.

"We'll s-simply swab you across the chest with a l-light concentration of mako. Reactions c-can take time, so you n-need to stay here for roughly ha-half an hour. We can t-then ascertain if you qualify for s-stronger treatments as S-SOLDIERs." He pushed his glasses up one more time before turning to the nurse beside him. In her hands was a metal tray with a small pile of cotton swabs, a pair of long steel, medical tweezers, and a dish of water.

Reno shifted his weight next to Cloud, brushing up against him, and the blond flinched. He was so tense his muscles might cramp if he didn't move, except he felt frozen to where he eyes were drawn to the stuttering doctor who left the room for a moment before returning. In his hand was a small beaker, holding no more than an inch of mako inside. The blond half-expected his hand to shake, but it was steady.

Cloud's eyes were drawn to it, as was everyone else's in the room. Many cadets had little experience with the dangerous substance, and in its liquid form it was at its deadliest. Cloud shuddered as the brilliant green acid sloshed in its reinforced beaker. He had no desire to be anywhere near it. He could feel his body retracting into itself, and he had to force himself to stay still and look unmoved.

"I-If you would kindly remove all clothing on the torso. T-That way this c-can be done quickly." The boys removed their shirts without complaint, tossing them down at their feet. Cloud could feel his nipples pinch in the air conditioning and his own nervousness. Reno's stomach was clenched tight, the bottom of his ribcage just barely visible as he sucked in his stomach to ground himself.

Dan twitched on Reno's other side, the muscles in his arm spasming from being held too tight. Cloud could feel beads of sweat slide down the back of his neck.

Uncapping the top of the beaker, the doctor took the forceps and carefully picked up a cotton ball, heedful not to squeeze it too tight. With practiced ease, he dipped it into the beaker, barely letting it brush the mako though it soaked it up quickly, and began to glow faint neon green.

The sight was enough to make Cloud's vision blur black like he was going to faint for a second.

The doctor had to act quickly; otherwise the mako would consume the whole cotton ball. With efficiency, he swiped the mako-covered end of the cotton ball just above the first boy's nipples. Without even looking for a reaction he did the same to the second.

Neither boy moved at first, and Cloud didn't dare glance down at them. His eyes were fixed on the beaker of mako. The doctor took up another cotton ball and swabbed Dan and then Reno.

Cloud could barely see Dan twitching out of the corner of his eye, and Reno had his lower lip tightly held between his teeth, obviously stifling any reaction.

Everything narrowed down for Cloud on the moment. He had no idea what might happen, but he knew what he'd felt before. There would be a burning sensation, the edges of the wound would turn icy cold, and his nostrils would become raw from breathing in the fumes after a couple minutes. Cloud hoped that would be the extent of it, but his gut clenched at the thought of any of it going badly. What if this caused an imbalance in him? Would he mutate?

The doctor stepped up before Cloud, and the blond tried to relax his hands enough to unclench his fists. He could feel sweat dribble down his back, but he kept his expression blank and tried to do the same for his mind as the doctor dipped the cotton ball into the mako and drew the forceps up, before cutting a smooth line of green across his chest.

* * *

Tseng stared at the stubborn looking blond boy in the picture. His profile was unremarkable, his grades had shot up about midway through the year, and though it was impressive to be trained by a First Class SOLDIER, Tseng still wasn't really seeing it.

Reno said _Cloud_ had told him. And considering this was the redhead's friend, he had been the obvious answer.

But Strife didn't seem like the sort of person who would know that kind of information. After all, he'd grown up far from Midgar, and Tseng seriously doubted anyone could be subtle with that kind of hair.

So had Reno lied? No, Tseng was fairly sure he'd been sincere. Perhaps it was _through_ Strife he'd heard about the guns?

Reno was more than just a slum rat after all. He was a _shrewd _one, and that could be a volatile combination.

Perhaps Cloud was not a reference for Reno's friend at all, but a codename for something or someone else?

Yes, that sounded like Reno. Using his own friend's weird name to cover up something, knowing that anyone who had half a brain would look to Strife first and find nothing.

Other than the boy's seemingly miraculous hidden ability that Fair had spotted_,_Strife was unexceptional.

But unexceptional wasn't really Reno's style. He liked to pick on the big guys, Tseng knew, taking a risk for a big prize. After all, their first meeting had been exactly that. Tseng, looking like a high executive in his dark blue suit, had actually been pick-pocketed by the scamp. In a hallway too! Of course, Reno hadn't gotten three steps before Tseng had him by the collar. But the redhead was his usual cocky self, telling him he'd only be "relieving him of the weight of his wallet", Tseng almost snorted as he recalled that incident. The boy hadn't realized at first he was a Turk, but he'd faltered a bit on his cocky attitude when he seemed to realize it. Tseng knew the Turks had some nasty reputations in the slums, and he cultivated it.

That had been the beginning of their absurd relationship, and Tseng liked to think he had Reno pretty much pegged down.

Still… unless there was anything to indicate "Cloud" was actually a codename, Tseng would keep his eye on the blond. With the exams it wouldn't be difficult to watch the boy in action, though he'd be in a controlled environment. Maybe even if Strife didn't drop a clue, then Reno would.

* * *

Cloud lay on his bed and contemplated what his body was telling him.

He could feel a slow burn aching across the swab mark; the green coloration was long gone. His skin was red now though, irritated and sensitive to touch. The edges, as expected, felt icy cold. He'd imagined more pain, but it felt like a rug-burn with some salt dashed on it—nothing he couldn't easily block out.

The other boys hadn't faired quite as well. Dan's hands had kept wandering up to his bare chest, flittering around the burn without touching. He had whimpered, and even Reno hadn't said a word about the lack of manliness at handling the pain.

The redhead had bit his lip and calmly told the doctor when he came around that he was "fuckin' fine". The crack in his voice gave him away.

The first boy in line collapsed roughly a minute after treatment. His mako streak had begun to swell, and the doctor immediately ordered him to a bed. He'd failed.

After waiting another ten minutes without further reaction, whether through the actual burn or by breathing it in, they were sent back to the bunker. The doctor had called out for them to return immediately should something change, and that the feeling should dwindle by curfew.

Reno and the others tried to put their shirts back on as Cloud walked out carrying his, and the shouts of pain couldn't pull the blond back from where his mind wandered. The familiar burn of mako had sent too many gruesome and unpleasant memories back into the forefront of his mind, and all he wanted to do was lay down and try to distract himself from the pain.

Cloud knew that being a SOLDIER would mean real mako treatments. It would mean syringes of liquid, fire licking up his veins, and Hojo looming down on him. _It was worth it,_ he told himself as he gritted his teeth as another wave suddenly rippled across the stain on his chest, _everything is worth it.

* * *

_

Tseng tapped his chin thoughtfully as he sat at the head of the roundtable. On his right was Rude, currently without a partner, then Morgan, still fairly fresh, along with a handful of others who were also new blood.

The Turks were always few in number but this year had not been a good year for them. One of their veterans had been killed by AVALANCHE, and another had disappeared after an assignment on the North Continent. That was actually a fairly frequent incidence—most attributed it to death and didn't ask questions.

Not asking questions, Tseng mused, yes, that was the bread and butter of the Turks. But he had a question today.

"Turks, those of you who have been members for longer than two months are allowed to nominate and sponsor a cadet to join. Does anyone want to start?"

There was silence for a moment before Rude's hand rose.

Tseng's eyebrow shot up. "Rude?" He couldn't quite keep the skepticism out of his voice. Rude, normally so taciturn, had never nominated anyone in his six years here. Tseng was curious to know who had caught the man's eye.

"I would like to sponsor Cadet Reno to be a Turk."

Tseng's mouth tightened. The other Turks noticed the tension but wisely didn't say anything. Rude looked as placid as ever. His superior's clear doubt didn't seem to faze him at all.

"Why?"

Rude paused a moment to survey Tseng and remained silent.

"You are aware that he would most likely be your new partner?" Tseng leaned back in his chair as he regained some of his composure. No one was quite sure why he disliked Reno except Rude.

"…"

Tseng sighed. "Despite his immaturity, if you sponsor him I cannot stop you." He twirled his pen around his fingers for a second before looking back up at Rude. "Do you understand?"

"…"

The files on Reno were pulled up, and the Turks around the table read through the meager information.

"He looks fine," one commented.

"He's from the slums," said another.

"Hm…"

Tseng glanced away from his slow perusal of Reno's profile to Morgan standing up from her chair. She went to her purse and removed a set of binoculars and a cable, attaching them to the main computer.

"Morgan?"

"In a moment, Tseng." Morgan was a strict woman, severe in dress and personality. She had long blonde hair in a tight ponytail, a well-cut blue suit, and her handy gun on her. She'd been a Turk for eighteen months, and was already exemplary. She'd been hand-picked by Veld, the current leader of the Turks. He had left this year's recruitment to his second though, Tseng.

She scrolled through the photos that came on the screen; most of them landscape shots of Midgar above the plate or shots of people. She stopped on one of a darkened rooftop with a redhead in the center. "My sister," she started, her voice full of no-nonsense authority, "took these shots from my apartment. This is the rooftop of Shinra Headquarters."

She struck her finger against the roll-down screen before clicking to the next shot. This one was zoomed in, and it was clear the redhead has the same ponytail at Reno's profile headshot. He was talking to a man, but because of the dark color he was hard to see. "This is clearly Reno, discussing something on the roof with the unknown man. The conversation lasted for roughly half an hour before both descended through the main stairwell, as evidenced by these photos."

She skimmed through them at an even pace like it was a flipbook, until the redhead and other man were gone.

Morgan returned to his seat, and Tseng paused to look at the picture before the last of the mysterious man watching Reno walk away.

"Hm…"

* * *

"Do you think we can switch teams?"

"I hope that guy's not on my team."

"You think we'll use real guns this time?"

"I heard you have to kill three people to pass."

The cadets were all crammed into the cafeteria and talking all at once. Team assignments were to be given out, and everyone was excited. A Second Class SOLDIER walked in and was almost immediately swarmed. In his hand was a long sheet of paper that had the groups and details for the physical exam.

"Do you think we'll get lucky, Cloud?" Dan's eager voice cut through the noise around them as the boy turned to three of them were sitting at their usual table on the end, not paying nearly as much heed to what was going on. Reno sometimes left to go talk to someone before coming back to share whatever he heard, while Dan stuck to Cloud's side like glue.

He didn't answer, though Reno did, scoffing at Dan. "You make your own luck."

Two army members clapped their hands and shouted to get the group of cadets to calm down. Once everyone was seated or standing before them, they fell back behind the SOLDIER.

He was a rough looking man, tall and physically huge. His voice boomed out across the room. "Cadets! Today marks the first day of the physical examination of the SOLDIER Exam. There are eight-five participants this year, fifty-five of you cadets and thirty from the army."

Murmuring broke out at the mention of army members coming back for a trial. Those who failed the SOLDIER exams were required to join the army for three years. After two years they were offered a second chance at the exams, but if they failed again they had another three years added to their service. It was a gamble, though clearly a popular one if thirty men were trying again.

"There will be seventeen teams, each with five members. The goal of the test is to last for two weeks under hostile conditions. Food, water, and ammunition will be hidden throughout the building. You will be required to outlast and outwit the other teams if you have any hope of surviving."

Immediately people starting talking in hushed voices, and many asked each other what the SOLDIER meant by "surviving". Cloud was characteristically silent, letting even Reno wonder aloud as to the rules of the game. The blond already knew what to expect. He had been tempted all week during the written exams to share some of his knowledge with Reno, but always it had come down to an explanation he didn't have. He'd held his tongue instead.

"The rules are as follows: Each team will be given color-coded armbands to signify their team. The weapons you will be using are these," One of the troopers next to the SOLDIER lifted up what looked like a rather strange gun. It was long and thin like a military rifle, except the barrel was particularly elongated. It was also reloaded through a thinner magazine than a regular M-16. "This is your weapon. Only two of these will be given to each team. More of these will be hidden throughout the area," the SOLDIER explained.

"This is your ammunition. It holds eight rounds." The other trooper now held up what looked like an ordinary magazine, though Cloud knew it was actually thinner and lighter than a regular cartridge because there weren't regular bullets in there. The cadets here were expecting to be given the same rubber pellets they practiced with, however that wasn't the case. Paintballs were cheaper, left clear marks where someone was hit, and were less dangerous for head or neck hits. Hence, they were perfect for a controlled battle situation like the exam.

The SOLDIER didn't cough to regain attention, just angrily glared out at the crowd until their voices dimmed and finally quieted. "The examination will be monitored through cameras and a regular sweep made by personnel. You are free to attack as you would in a real battle. Killing all your opponents, however, may not be to your advantage. Think wisely."

Other than a couple quiet whispers, the room was silent.

"When I announce your group, you will sit at a table together, beginning with the table in the farthest corner and moving right across the room before starting on the next row. Do not attempt to switch groups or sabotage another team before the official start of the exam, or you will be penalized." Before anyone could speak, the SOLDIER started barking orders at the troopers by his side. They cleared the back row tables of the cafeteria and stood at attention.

"Team 1: Dent, Barker, Gris, Moxley, and Wylie. Team 2…"

As the names were called, boys shuffled off to their designated tables, trying to act tough as they were separated from their friends. Reno was called up with Team 6, sneering at Dan and waving briefly at Cloud before cockily walking off. Cloud nodded to him as he left. Reno's teammates didn't seem overly enthused to see him. Two of them looked like friends and they clearly saw Reno as a threat rather than a teammate. Cloud looked over at their group, their faces unfamiliar, and Reno, for some reason, seemed out of place. The blond continued to stare, trying to think of what was wrong. Reno's team for the exam, he had taken the exam and passed—

No… Reno wasn't in the exam! He remembered! Reno had vanished a couple months before the exam started. He must have been a Turk by then.

Maybe it had been their friendship, Cloud thought. He and Reno _were_ together when they had free time, so it couldn't be that much of a jump to imagine Cloud had that kind of influence. Cloud might have headed off incidents where Reno would have caught the eye of a Turk. Or perhaps he'd even curbed Reno's attitude enough to stay under the radar.

He thought furiously through the implications of what he'd just realized. If Reno was taking the exam, then that meant Cloud had changed something. How had Reno been picked up by the Turks the first time? Cloud had no idea, but he stared at the redhead across the room, wondering how this would change his known future.

The blond rubbed his knuckles over his eyes and took a deep breath. This didn't mean Reno couldn't be a Turk. It would just be delayed. The redhead was _made_ for the Turks; everyone knew that. But the blond still couldn't help but fear that he'd unknowingly done something irreversible.

"Team 10: Strife, Megarian, Gavish, Tamboia, and Biegel."

Dan immediately jumped up, turning to Cloud with his hands clutched over his heart in a very feminine gesture. "We're on the same team, Cloud! Can you believe our luck?" Letting the boy babble on, Cloud grunted and hopped down from the table to cross the room to where one boy was already sitting. He was smiling at them as they approached.

As Dan and Cloud sat, the other spoke. "Aaron, nice to meet you. I've seen the both of you around." The purple-haired boy offered his hand, which Dan took immediately. Cloud remembered Aaron vaguely, mostly as a personality. He was the flamboyantly gay boy of their year (for there always seemed to be one, if Cloud recalled Zack correctly), and actually a force to be reckoned with in some ways—he'd taken down Maxwell once, Cloud remembered.

"I'm Dan, and this is Cloud." Dan was a perfect gentleman, introducing them both. He seemed to have already taken a shine to Aaron's personality. Cloud quietly thought it might be because they were alike in many ways. Both were optimistic to a fault and more feminine than most of the other cadets. "We're actually from the same bunker. Isn't that lucky?"

Aaron agreed, and as the two started talking, Cloud noted only one other boy joined them. He wore his military outfit loosely, pants too low so his boxers could be seen, his jacket unbuttoned and shirt un-tucked. His face was red from acne, and he had a thin white scar along the top of his hairline of his temple. Cloud had a distinct image of a much younger, less mature Reno. They held themselves the same way, with an air of arrogance born of tough lives.

"Oh, you must be Megarian or Biegel." Aaron turned to the boy now, just noticing him sitting here, and offered his hand again while introduced himself and Dan, who nodded along.

The other boy crossed his arms on the table and turned his face away.

Not one to be put-off by blatant rudeness, Aaron resumed his conversation with Dan and occasionally asked questions of the other who refused to acknowledge any of them. Cloud wondered briefly if the boy would be a problem, but dismissed it. He'd led unrulier people than a teenager; he could handle him.

The blond surveyed the rest of the room as Dan and Aaron talked, looking at who was on what team. He didn't recognize any of the members of Reno's team, and most of the other teams seemed to be an even distribution of skills to Cloud's knowledge. He had been sure they were broken up based on scores, though Cloud was sure he'd done better this time around. Perhaps Zack had fiddled with it—in which case Cloud might have to mention how favoritism wouldn't help him. Had the SOLDIER done that before to land him on a better team even though it hadn't helped?

Megarian, their last member, was actually in the army, which was why he wasn't there. The SOLDIER would probably explain that as soon as people finished getting acquainted with each other. Biegel, the one at the end of the table, Cloud barely remembered at all. Hopefully that meant the boy would keep his head down.

"Cadets! Now that you have found your teams, some of you might find that you are missing one person. If you are a four-man team here, it means your last member is a regulation army member. They will join us at the site of the exam. You have one hour now to prepare. You are allowed to bring one bag, which will be examined before you are allowed to enter the building for the exam. It must be small enough to carry as a pack, and certain objects are forbidden: this includes guns, certain kinds of food, and bombs. If you want to see a complete list, there is one in each of your halls. Be back here in one hour!"

Dan and Cloud rose with the other boys, all merging into one group as they headed back to the bunkers. Reno was already there by the time they reached their room. Their bunker was beginning to feel empty from losing now four members, and as everyone packed up their essentials it felt barer and barer. Everyone knew they wouldn't be coming back here for more than to pack up the last of their stuff—whether to bring it to the new SOLDIER Third's apartments or the army barracks.

Cloud packed extra water skeins, his small knife (hiding the larger one on himself), a permanent marker, and any manner of paraphernalia he could think of that might be useful. He knew not to over-pack—he would need the space for things they picked up and the like. Cloud had to remind Dan of the same though. The boy seemed insistent that he would really needed a book in case he got bored, a box of tissues in case someone got a cold, and even toilet paper. After finally helping Dan cut ten pounds off his bag, he and Cloud were the last to leave their bunker.

Back in the cafeteria, they were told to rejoin their group. Aaron had over-packed in the end, and Biegel seemed to have no bag on him at all. The SOLDIER called for attention, and reminding them to stick to their teammates, they were led out the door.

* * *

A ride in a private train car and a short walk through one of the better slums (rotten wood and thin metal houses instead of ones made of garbage), they were led into a chained-in area that announced itself as Shinra property. This area was uninhabited except by the occasional monster who scurried away from the large crowd. The buildings had long been abandoned to age and decay, and it was hard to see with the little lighting Shinra had installed.

It had been a service sector at some point, that much was obvious. All the buildings were multi-story offices with signs out front for long-gone businesses in hardware, fuel, and other products.

The building they were led to was one taller than its neighbors, though it didn't rival Shinra Headquarters' lofty height. It had been fixed up some though compared to the rest of the dump, enough to make it safe for the exams.

In front of the building was another large group of people, who were now quite visible in all the lights set up by the building. There were a number of generators lining the street in front of the structure, and there were even lights on inside, indicating they'd wired the place for electricity. Off to the side and a ways down was the medical station, and beyond that was another building all lighted up that Cloud presumed was where the exam was monitored.

The group of people in front of the old office building turned out to be the army troopers who were also participating in the exam. They eyed the cadets in an unfriendly way.

"Attention!" The soldiers automatically stood at attention, though many of the cadets did not. The SOLDIER didn't appear to care any which way. "This building before you was the headquarters of an electric company from a time before Shinra had risen to power. It had eighteen floors, so each team will be placed on a floor."

Cloud stared up at the looming structure, remembering briefly wandering its halls, unknowingly being stalked. He'd hardly been inside for three hours, led by Megarian if he remembered correctly, before he'd been hit in the back of the head from four feet away—almost point-blank range. He'd come-to inside the makeshift hospital outside the building, "killed" in combat and therefore failed.

Some more shouted orders had the teams formed into a line by number. Megarian joined them then, and no one missed the look Biegel threw at him. It was clearly resenting, and when Biegel looked away in the direction of Aaron, the boy flashed him a ridiculously flirty look, knowing it would only upset the other cadet. Biegel sneered at him uncomfortably.

Megarian was a husky young man, with stubble he probably shouldn't have had in the army, and wavy dark hair that was a tad longer than army regulation. He towered over Dan, though when Aaron offered his hand he gave him a warm shake.

They shuffled forward, Cloud at the front of their group. They were given five lime green armbands, the symbol of their team. Dan wanted to make a team name, but when nobody jumped at it he quieted.

Aaron tied his armband around his neck, almost like a matador. Biegel shoved his around his wrist and pulled his jacket sleeve down to hide it. Cloud and Megerian tied theirs around their upper arms, and after a moment Dan did the same.

They grouped together as they waited to be called inside to be placed. Cloud observed the other teams around them, noting the royal blue color of Reno's team, and that Maxwell's orange-colored team seemed to be entirely composed of bullies.

"I'm John. You?"

Megarian was standing by Cloud, looking up at the building. "Cloud."

The soldier glanced down at him briefly. "The last time I took this, people fought dirty."

"People fight dirty in war. This may be a mock-war, but it's still war." Cloud's serious tone must have caught Megarian off-guard because the man didn't answer right away.

"I agree." He said finally.

Cloud nodded and didn't speak after that.

It was only a couple minutes later before they were called. They're bags were checked, then an army trooper led them into the building and down a couple of twisting hallways before opening the door to a room. It was a generic office room, with dusty broken desks and ancient computers. "This is where you will be starting the exam from. Do not leave this room before the whistle blows or you will be penalized."

Nodding ascent, Cloud entered first, only giving the room a brief scan. This was just like last time; his team had gotten the first floor. Only this time, Cloud knew their base camp wouldn't be here. He knew what they needed to do, and what kind of tactics would be best to both survive, and show the proctors what they could do.

Dan, Aaron, and Megarian stopped as Cloud stood in the center of fairly large room. Biegel looked disinterested as he stood off to the side.

"Team 10," Cloud began, "This is our strategy…"


	23. Chapter 23

Writer's Note: "Feuer Frei" is German for "Fire at Will". I also apologize for some of the language, I don't mean to offend anyone. I want to thank Stalker of Stories for pointing out the typos, but in my and Birddi's defense, we do read these chapters at least three or four times each, and the familiar words are overlooked in favor of plot and flow.

**EDIT:** This chapter has been _**rewritten**_. Nearly the entire thing is brand new, with only two scenes that have been revised, which is why it is also 14 pages long. Because Birddi and I couldn't help ourselves from totally redoing it, Chapter 24 has several added scenes and one scene has been edited for consistency.

Disclaimer: I make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty-Three (07-15-09)**

Edited: 05-25-10

"This is idiotic."

Biegel huffed again, crossing his arms and looking away like a moody child. Cloud had easily ignored his stream of negative commentary throughout the explanation, but Dan hadn't been so mature about it.

"If that's all you have to say, then keep your mouth shut!"

"Dan." At Cloud's voice, Dan relaxed slightly, though his eyes were still locked on Biegel.

He pouted though as he turned to Cloud. "It's not like he has to be here. He can just-"

"No. He knows the plan, so he's going along with it no matter what," John cut in.

Cloud watched his team bicker as he sat on a desk.

They were in the room the proctor had left them in on the ground floor. It was barren, with just the skeleton of what an office building needed: desks and cubicles, filing cabinets and empty trash bins.

Cloud was seated on top of the manager's desk, with John leaning on the wall of cubicle while Aaron manned the chair. Dan had commandeered another chair, and Biegel had taken to brooding across the aisle from them.

He had laid out a plan he had hammered out in his head for weeks now, and it had a good reception amongst the group, even John gave his agreement that it was a good, if unorthodox, plan_._ Then Beigel had to open his mouth, and things had gone sour.

"They'll fail us for destroying property, and I'm not failing for something as dumb as that."

"That's the third time you've said that. And like I said before," Aaron swiveled in his chair to give the boy a sardonic grin. "They want us to wage a mock war here. Destruction of the building is inevitable. Cloud's idea is just…intentional destruction."

"There's no way I'm following this."

John pitched in now. "This is the military. It's not up for vote. You follow the leader's orders and don't ask questions."

Biegel scoffed, "He isn't the General."

Cloud shifted uncomfortably a little on the desk at that particular comment, but no one noticed.

As the argument continued on, Biegel flatly repeating the same lines while everyone's blood pressure steadily went up. Cloud finally had to interrupt. "You have a choice. You can stay and work with the rest of the team, or you can leave and suffer the consequences."

Everyone sat back at that ultimatum, waiting for Beigel's response. Cloud stared at him steadily; already sensing which Beigel was going to turn. He fingered his gun.

"…I'm leaving."

The responses from the others fell on deaf ears as Cloud pulled the gun securely into his arms. Biegel pushed off the wall and headed down the aisle, his exposed back to the group.

Cloud hoisted up the gun and cocked it, barely even glancing into the sight before firing a single shot.

The bright blue paint ball splattered against the center of Biegel's back, knocking him to the floor with a shout. Cloud pulled back the gun, ignoring the shocked reactions of his teammates.

"In war, defectors are executed if caught to prevent secrets, strategies, and troop movements from reaching the enemy." Cloud relaxed his grip on the gun and strode over to Beigel's sputtering body that was just beginning to sit up. "You've failed."

Cloud turned back to the group that was staring at him. Dan looked shocked, Aaron impressed, and John a little of both.

"W-what are you going to do with him?"

Cloud pointed out the camera in the corner of the room to Dan. "They'll come and collect him."

* * *

Reno hated his team.

Riley and Mark were two boys who came from a rather classy neighborhood outside Junon. They'd joined the military because they'd been useless anywhere else, and only proved to be more useless as time went by. Reno had a basic profile of all the cadets his year, and these two had messed with people constantly, though perhaps unfortunately they hadn't messed with the kind that would kill them for it. Yet. Reno had been ready to introduce them to some of those people within the first minute of meeting them.

Stojan was the self-proclaimed leader of Team 6. He came from a military family and had been spoiled rotten all his life. He expected to fly up the ranks because his father had been a colonel, and he was a complete bastard. Stojan had proudly claimed his father was known for his designer military boots, and Reno was sorely tempted to point out that being known for your designer boots as a colonel was probably not something to be proud of. He was, as far as Reno was concerned, a stuck up twit who looked like the kind to run at the first sign of trouble.

It was people like these guys that really pissed Reno off. They'd lived on leather couches all their lives and thought they were better than he was or that they knew more than Reno. So what if they'd gone to the Golden Saucer and toured around occupied Wutai? They were in the military—those things weren't useful. Had they ever had to duck and run while under fire like Reno had? Ever had to lie and cheat and make someone bleed 'til the told they truth? Reno had. Bastards had no idea what real life was like.

It just worked him up more and more from the moment he'd sat down at the table. The first word out of Mark's mouth had been "slum rat" and it had all just gone downhill from there. That term had been practically polite to the other ones they knew—though Reno had heard worse, not that it still didn't totally piss him off.

Barely into the exam and Reno had already nearly broken Stojan's nose, given Mark a black eye, had his lip split when Riley hit him with a cheap shot, and ripped the cuff and several buttons off his shirt. He'd had to fix it with safety pins later so it didn't keep gaping open.

They were on the third floor, sitting in the hallway between the elevators and the stairs, waiting for someone to come and attack them. Stojan seemed to think a good strategy was to lay in wait around the corner, peek around if they heard something, and fire when they saw someone. Reno thought he was a retard.

The other cadets of his team were on their side of the hallway trying to come up with a long-term plan to win. So far their ideas were all perfectly ridiculous, and Reno's side commentary wasn't helping.

"What about the cameras," Mark said, glancing deliberately up at the one in the far corner watching them. Reno had another in his sights, wondering if he might creep out the SOLDIER watching it if he stared hard enough. He was that bored.

"Maybe we could shoot all of them?"

"It'd be a waste of ammo, Riley. Come on, Planet knows how many there are. Probably can see every team."

Overhearing their discussion about the cameras, Reno couldn't help throwing a comment over his shoulder. "You wouldn't be able to hit the camera since your aim's so bad. Might as well use them with all the luck you guys got."

He was being perfectly sarcastic. Reno wasn't stupid; he knew SOLDIER wouldn't leave around any way to access the cameras. Not to mention, hacking into their system would be like an act of war against them, not the other teams.

Clearly, Reno's logic forgot to take into account Stojan, Riley, and Mark's combined idiocy. If any three people could talk themselves into doing something ridiculous, it would be them.

"Yo, riffraff, what did you say?"

Reno flipped Mark the finger without turning. He was a good ten feet away from the others and that was as close as he was getting.

He heard some muttered voices from where they were sitting, and then the rustling of clothes and shoes as someone stood up. From the weight of the footsteps, Reno had to guess it was Riley, the largest boy of the group.

He could feel him looming over his seated position against the wall, his shadow thrown off to the side by the fluorescent lighting. Reno gripped the knife resting innocently in his lap.

"Did you say to take over the cameras, arps?"

Reno didn't budge, knowing what would come next.

Riley wrapped one burly hand around his arm, exposing the soft armpit as he did so. Reno slammed the blunt end of his knife up and into the unguarded area, causing Riley to let go with a shout of pain.

"Don't grab me," Reno said in a dark tone, pushing away the kneeling cadet holding his arm protectively to his chest.

Mark was on his feet and coming towards him as Reno stood. "You ass scum!" He charged straight at Reno, who ducked down at the last second and swiped the legs out from under Mark. The boy went down hard on his tailbone and didn't get the chance to sit up before Reno was crouched on top of him, one foot digging into the cadet's knee to hold him down.

"Look little boy, you've been saying shit about me and the other half of Midgar but you grew up in a nice, safe neighborhood with dogs, fences, and police, and I suggest you go back there. Because this town? This is where I grew up, and things are a little different here. Your dog gets eaten when you're hungry, the fences are hotwired with electricity, and the police shoot to kill. So why don't you take the golden spoon out of your mouth and shove it up your ass?"

Reno dug the knife into the boy's throat one more time just to hear him whimper before standing up and casually brushing himself off.

Stojan stood, his face turning puce in his anger. "Guttersnipe, cock-sucking, bastard! Get the fuck out of here! We don't need you, so we're going to leave your ass out to dry!"

Reno shrugged as he let go of Mark, who had a fine sheen of sweat dotting his brow. "Your funeral."

When he walked past Stojan to reach the stairs, the boy deliberately shoved the butt of his gun into Reno's stomach, no doubt trying to hurt him. Reno grabbed the butt of the gun before he could complete the motion, and shoved the barrel of it back into Stojan's soft stomach, causing the boy to double over.

"Don't underestimate me. I've killed for less."

Reno grinned as he turned his back on them and headed down the stairs. That had felt good. But he couldn't believe fops like those kids actually existed.

He headed down the stairs, trying to think of where he could go now. He'd been thankfully ousted from his team, so he would need a safe place to hold out in until he could find a splintered group or some way to make it through this exam on his own. Nothing he couldn't handle.

He paused on the second floor, debating briefly, before he kept going down.

On the first floor Reno located the guardroom not far from the main entrance and slipped inside. There were double doors, one made of bulletproof glass, the other a heavy metal, and a swivel chair seated before several cracked and splintered monitors. The keyboards were trashed, wiring pulled out of the computers and even the walls.

Reno paused as he saw this, but when he realized what the damage to the room was, he started to laugh. If this little guardroom with three monitors were smashed, then how badly destroyed would the main security room be?

Stojan, Riley, and Mark were screwed. And they deserved it far as he was concerned.

Reno opened the thick metal door leading back into the hallway, deciding a little scouting around would be best before settling in for a time. He had just touched the exterior door when he heard voices around the corner. The redhead ducked back down into the room, peeking out the glass window to see which team it was.

Cloud, much to Reno's shock, came around the corner, talking swiftly to his group in a low voice. He was outlining the details of the plan, and so far there was a mixture of excitement and nervousness in the group. It was probably a little extreme, but Cloud knew that the ante would just keep rising over the next two weeks, so they needed to start out strong and with a major advantage.

He was just about to move around the guard booth when the door opened and Reno stepped out.

Cloud's gun whipped up so fast it was a blur. John jumped back several paces to give him space, while Dan let out a shout and Aaron covered his heart with his hand when he realized it was Reno.

"Yo, Cloud."

Cloud only lowered his gun slightly. "Reno. What are you doing here?"

Reno smirked. "You'll never guess what my team's planning to do."

* * *

Team 10, with their newest member Reno, stood in front of the rightmost elevator, Cloud positioned at the front.

"I'll climb up to the roof of the elevator. When I stamp my foot, that's the sign to move up to the seventeenth floor. _Make sure_ it's not the eighteenth. The elevator should move slow enough that I can do it without having to stop at every floor."

"Why don't you just drop one? It would save time."

John turned completely around to look at the redhead, who had a cocky look on his face.

"We only need one elevator, right? So why not drop the other one?"

"You're kidding, right?" Dan broke in, looking positively horrified.

"Drop a five-thousand pound elevator seventeen stories? We could do serious damage to the building," Aaron said, looking uncharacteristically serious.

"And how would you break the cables. Those things hold thousands of pounds and they're probably some kind of steel."

Reno waved away their concerns. "Look, the elevator'll drop and hit the ground, probably just damage the basement-"

"-Which is where the foundation of the building is!" Dan interjected.

"Right, right. But there's no one down there. You guys said the doors to the stairs down to the basement were welded shut."

"Why can't we just take the elevator down to the basement?" Aaron bemoaned.

"Because SOLDIER wouldn't allow the elevator to go to that floor if they blocked the stairs. We have to fix the elevator to go down there first." Cloud turned to Reno. "But dropping the other elevator would be faster. Are you willing to do it?"

"Sure." Reno grinned.

"I'll go with him," Aaron piped up suddenly. "I'll stay inside the cab so no one gets in it."

Dan smiled then. "I'll do the same for the other elevator."

Cloud nodded. "Don't break the cables until our elevator is up there and I've sealed floor eighteen. You have to be able to jump off onto our elevator or you'll drop with it." He shot both Reno and Aaron a serious look before he hit the button for the elevators, ignoring Aaron's wide-eyed look of fear or Reno's whistle.

"Sure thing, Captain," Reno mocked with an accompanying salute.

* * *

Tseng leaned against the belly of one of the smaller airships and stared out the open hangar door at the hazy desert horizon. The heady smell of fuel, metal, grease, and paint hung all around the cavernous building. It was probably as toxic as the drug dens under the plate, but Tseng couldn't bring himself to care. He liked the view of the sky out the open end of the hangar, and the solitude he could get here. With the air and space programs shrinking with every budget meeting, the hangar had grown to be a place he frequented more and more.

He was here today thinking about a number of things, mostly Reno, the implications of what he'd said, and best of all, how to deal with the rascal. Reno had been cleverer than he'd guessed, and the cadet had bought himself much needed time with the Strife-ploy. Now that he was in the exams he was out of touch for a while, but Tseng had his lead now.

"Cloud," he muttered, a little annoyed. Reno had known using that word would throw Tseng right into Strife's direction, and even though he'd _known_ that he'd still done it and wasted valuable time digging up nothing on the blond cadet. Strife had been a suitable distraction with his own complicated situation and history, but not the kind of material with information of private, highly guarded firearms.

Reno had been truthful when he'd said "Cloud" had told him—Tseng was convinced of that, his intuition was what made him such a great Turk after all—but Tseng didn't think for another second it was _Cloud Strife_ that had told him. No, Reno had thought wrong if he really believed Strife would be enough to hold Tseng's attention. The redhead had anything but a clean slate, and his old gang—one of the more notorious ones below the plate, Feuer Frei—Tseng was on to now. Reno's "Cloud" hadn't been his friend, but _Red_ Cloud.

Clever pun for a kid from the slums.

Red Cloud was a faction of the larger Junon gang, Red Storm, infamous for its smuggling rings, and very wealthy (through various illegal methods) leaders. Red Cloud was more like Feuer Frei in that its membership came from the lower classes and they were more prone to direct violence.

Reno himself had done a fairly good job when it came to digging himself a hole—though the cadet didn't know it. He'd probably hoped Tseng, being a Turk with more access to more information than Reno could dream (though Tseng never felt like it was enough for his job), would find something on Strife. It was abundantly obvious that Reno didn't know much more than what the blond told him, and that had to chafe at him.

In the end, Reno had showed his hand there, _and_ gotten his illegal alcohol-making buddies locked up. Tseng had sent some of his newer Turks down into Sector 2 after tracing the moonshine, only to hit a jackpot in terms of illegal alcohol, drugs and the stolen ultraviolet lights to grow them, and a weapons cache for a gang. Pity he hadn't been able to tell Reno that before the exams started.

Tseng straightened as he was reminded of Rude's nomination at the thought of the exams. It irritated him that Rude would do that, but there wasn't much he could do. His current position as second to the head of the Turks was new, and he didn't want to jeopardize it by making himself look bothered by a mere cadet, and therefore weak. He'd just have to deal with Reno a little longer, and then the boy would fail the Turk trials and he'd be gone for good—or at least until he got arrested or killed.

He dusted off his suit; the private airship he had been leaning against for more than an hour was hardly the cleanest, and he needed to get back. He thought he might have a plan worked out in his head to flush out some of Red Cloud and hopefully some of Fruer Frei—and connect them back to the redhead to tie it all up nicely. It would be sweet victory to be able to tell Reno when he arrived for trials that he'd actually dug himself his own grave.

* * *

Cloud pulled himself through the opening of the elevator car and hoisted himself on to the roof.

It was uneven, with steel plating and crisscrossing beams to hold the heavy car steady. He found his footing quickly, with the aid of a flashlight John had in his mouth as he pulled himself through.

The elevator shaft was eerily dark. Cloud could sense the expanse of space above him and could vaguely make out the cab next to his elevator and the steel cable that held it up. There were girders all around him and four sets of rails rising in the abyss. Below he knew there would be a counterweight as heavy as the elevator that would fall perhaps a story when the other car was dropped.

John situated himself by Cloud, reaching out to tentatively touch his shoulder. "Think you can make it strong enough?"

Cloud nodded, fingering the green materia in his hand. It was his own Fire, and he'd managed to get it up to Fire2 through enough practice over the last weeks. After molding that ice storm out of thin air in the practice room, Cloud had returned at least three times a week to better hone his control. It was still difficult when he literally felt like he was brimming over with power—a strange sensation he hadn't felt since he'd fought weak monsters at the height of his power.

The trick here would be to maintain the right level of heat. He could probably burn down the elevators doors better than weld them shut.

Reno and Aaron's elevator next to them began to rise, moving in a heavy black shadow, a slightly dank wind stirred up as it passed, before rising up and into the blackness above.

When John turned back to him, the blond began. Pushing some energy into materia, Cloud lifted it over his head to just the bottom of where the second floor doors met. Channeling the energy into a thin tongue of flame, Cloud held it steady as he watched through both light from the fire and from John's flashlight as it touched the door.

There was a crackling, fizzing sound as the metal began to melt, and the blond put a little more energy behind it.

It was a mistake as the flame flared, and he pulled just in time to see a little window of light where he had melted a hole through the door.

John gasped quietly behind him. "I guess I was worried for nothing."

Cloud didn't respond, adjusting the flame several times until finally he started to melt the metal just above the inch-wide hole. It began to rapidly pool in the hole, and John ducked down quickly, whipping out another green materia and crystallizing the metal with a well-timed Blizzard2. It solidified, and Cloud stopped to look down.

Several hardened droplets were sliding down the wall, and if John hadn't jumped in, more may have landed on Cloud's boots.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Cloud stomped his foot now that he'd gotten the hang of it, and heard the grinding screech as the elevator car began to move. Steel cables whirred and trembled as the cab began to lift. The blond was ready, with his materia held high and slowly melting the door as they rose while John froze the welded line together before it could drip too far.

Dan had only hit the button for the second floor, so once those doors were welded shut and the elevator had stopped, John poked his head down into the hole.

"How's it look, Dan?"

Cloud could hear Dan's shouted response. "Sealed shut. Should I go all the way up now?"

John glanced at the blond with his flashlight, and Cloud nodded.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

It took them four and a half minutes to get to the top, and Cloud wouldn't admit it, but they were some of the longest he'd felt in awhile. It took a lot of concentration to keep the flame steady and not too hot, and John eventually stopped cooling the metal, letting it solidify on its own when his MP gave out.

At the top floor, Reno was standing on top of the elevator. He swiveled his flashlight at Cloud. "I can't break the cables or the pulley. They're solid steel. I think you'll need to melt them too."

"I have to seal the eighteenth floor doors too. Has Aaron switched cars?"

"Yes!" Came the muffled shout from below Cloud. In Dan's elevator Aaron was standing inside, peeking out with Dan to make sure no team came over to the elevators. John dropped down into the cab as Reno gripped one of the girders between the two elevators and used it to step on to Cloud's elevator.

Once on it, Cloud handed Reno his materia. "Keep the flashlight on me so I can see. I need to melt a line across the doors to keep them shut first, then I'll climb up to that girder and melt the pulley."

"Sure thing."

Cloud tucked the materia securely into his pocket before gripping one of the cables hanging at the center of the elevator. There were hard and cold in his hands, very rough and uncomfortably wide for his smaller grip to get completely around, but he managed. He hoisted himself high enough to be on par with the eighteenth floor doors, then using an arm and both legs to hold himself to the line, pulled out the fire materia.

He managed to make a messy gash across the doors, and with two more and a slight hole through it on one side, he made sure the doors wouldn't be opening again.

Cloud crawled further up and pulled himself up on a girder. It was dusty and covered in rust, but still solid. Scooting closer to the other side of the shaft, he pulled out the materia again.

"Reno," he called down. The redhead shouted back and the voices from inside the car quieted. "Point the flashlight at the pulley."

"Sure," he said, then crouched down for a second to peek into the car he was standing on. "I bet it'll take four seconds to hit the ground."

Cloud could hear Aaron respond with his own bet, and Reno left the three inside to bicker it out.

With the flashlight on the pulley, Cloud could now see it was a complicated piece of levers, ropes, and winding lines and reels, all attached to an electrical box between the shafts above the eighteenth floor.

"Reno, can you light the box up?"

"What box?" The redhead called back.

"The microprocessor that controls the elevator."

Reno darted the flashlight about a bit before he found it.

Cloud crawled along the girder and reached up to the box. There was a smaller, newer microprocessor attached to it that Cloud would bet his life SOLDIER had attached to stop the elevator from going to the basement. He pried it off with his fingers, snapping the wires attached to a plug on the side of the machine.

He tossed the little machine down to Reno. "Throw that behind the elevator when it falls."

Reno picked it up from where it had hit. "I could probably use this."

Cloud backed up from the electrical box. "Then keep it. I don't care."

Reno retrained the light on the pulley, and Cloud summoned up a molten white-hot flame that licked at the metal for several seconds before steam began to rise as it melted. Cloud concentrated on keeping the flame going at that heat until there was an audible snap and the pulley tumbled into the darkness.

There was the smash of metal hitting metal, but it was covered up completely but a horrible, ear-splitting, nails-on-chalkboard screech that ripped through the shaft. It wailed and echoed and reverberated, and Cloud had just enough sense to grip the materia in his hands as he covered his ears. Reno had dropped to his knees and was curled up over, the flashlight sitting on the top of the elevator forgotten.

* * *

Sephiroth jerked up abruptly from where he was standing outside the building. There was a horrible whine emitted from the building that caused him to unconsciously reach up to cover his ears. Zack and one other First near him both winced as the sound reached them. Seconds and Thirds cocked their heads, and howling stray dogs could be heard in the distance.

When the sound abated, Zack was the first one to open his mouth. "What the fuck was that?"

* * *

Maxwell and Stojan along with the rest of their group paused on the stairs leading to the tenth floor. The walls were shaking and there was a terrible shrieking noise that made them all pause and look at each other.

"What was that?"

* * *

Cloud and the rest of his team began to recover, even as they could feel the aftershocks from the noise. Looking down from the girders, Cloud couldn't hear anything except a loud ringing in his ears. Reaching up, he gingerly touched them and was relieved when he didn't feel blood.

"Shit," he cursed, but he couldn't hear his own words. There wasn't any permanent damage to his ears, but something with the elevator must have gone wrong. "Reno?"

There was no response, but Cloud couldn't faintly make out the form of the redhead on the elevator. He was standing at least.

The ringing wouldn't stop in his head, so Cloud raised his voice. "If anyone can hear me, I need the light to get down."

He knew someone had responded when John appeared with his flashlight, handing Reno back his before shining the beam at the pulley and cables Cloud needed to climb back down.

Once he was on the elevator, he tapped Reno's shoulder. The redhead was grinning and indicated his ears, which weren't bleeding either, but were probably ringing too.

Cloud took Reno's flashlight and directed it down the other shaft. They could see the other elevator was sitting about a story and a half below them. Cloud dropped himself back inside the elevator, Reno and John behind him, as Dan and Aaron turned to him.

"Can you hear me?" He asked. He wasn't sure if he was speaking too loudly or not, it was impossible to judge volume when he couldn't hear himself.

Dan, Aaron, and John opened their mouths, Reno just grinned.

"I can't hear you now, but the other elevator must have had some kind of safety system put in. We need to go down about two levels to see if we can break the breaks."

Dan said something, but Cloud wasn't able to read his lips. Aaron hit the button for the fifteenth floor, and the elevator slowly descended. When it stopped, Cloud pulled himself through with John.

The other elevator was almost exactly level with theirs, and now Cloud could see four mechanical pieces attached to the underside of the elevator and the rails it rode on. They were breaks, all engaged from what he could tell. They were the only thing holding the elevator up.

With John's light, Cloud pulled out the fire materia again and this time didn't hold back as much. One explosion was enough to turn the first break into a dripping mess of melted metal. One more precise shot took out the second, and the horrible grinding screech repeated again.

Cloud covered his ears and curled inward, but the sound didn't last long. Snapping metal resounded in the shaft, and then suddenly the elevator vanished, plummeting down into the vacuum below.

No one counted the seconds as they held their breath. The crash that resonated around them shook the building. Dust slowly began to rise to them and the other elevator stopped its tenuous shaking as Cloud peeked once more down that shaft and saw nothing but inky blackness.

* * *

Barely a minute after Sephiroth and the Firsts had recovered from the sound, they heard two small blasts right after another before the sound of a massive explosion happened. The whole building visibly shuddered and the ground shook, but no damage could be seen. The SOLDIERs and regulation army members standing around were silent in shock for several moments before talking immediately broke out.

Sephiroth turned to Zack. "Find out who gave the cadets explosives."

Zack nodded and was about to turn away when a uniformed man ran up to the General.

"General, sir, the crash was just an elevator. Elevator B had no occupants. The camera in Elevator A was shot out by a John Megarian. He's a member of Team 10."

Zack let out an undignified whoop and grabbed the Second Class SOLDIER. "Yeah Cloud! That's my Cloud!"


	24. Chapter 24

Writer's Note: Thank you for all the fantabulous reviews! I got more than 100 for the last chapter, and I will hopefully be at 1000 after this one. Which means I'll pass out in a dead faint.

**Edit: **This chapter has been revised. There are two new scenes in the beginning and a minor revision to Sephiroth's scene for consistency. This change goes hand-in-hand with the complete rewrite of Chapter 23.

I also want to thank Stalker of Stories for pointing out typos and missing words to me. This is always much appreciated.

Disclaimer: I make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty-Four (07-15-09)**

Edited: 05-25-10

The crash that caused the building to shake rang into dead silence. Maxwell's seven-man team paused in the hallway, wondering what the explosion had been. Something that big could probably kill. How far were people going in this exam?

"Come on," Maxwell said after several moments. The explosion had shaken him and his team. "This should be the tenth floor."

Their team had discovered early on that SOLDIER intended to make this as difficult as possible for them. Black spray paint had been used liberally to cover the numbers of what floor was which in both the staircases and by the elevators.

"Here we go," he said as he rounded a corner and spotted a wall panel denoting the room as the main security room.

Stojan and the rest of the group trotted up behind him. "Guess we just fiddle with the wires, huh?"

"Yeah, can't be too hard."

They pushed open the door and discovered the room to be chaos. Monitors had been thrown across the room, slashed so deep the wall was gashed. The keyboards had been dented, removed, and spray-painted on with more of the black spray paint. There were wires sticking out of panels under the desks, and the leg of a rolling chair was sticking out of the a console.

It was utter disaster, and totally useless.

Stojan was speechless as Maxwell whirled around on him. "How the _fuck_ are we supposed to use this?"

"I didn't know!"

Stojan took a step back as Maxwell advanced. "You better had some good shit to work with because if people are blowing up each other we need everything we've got and more!"

Stojan started shouting back, blaming Maxwell for losing Riley in a standoff with another team and being a bad leader, but his words fell short when Maxwell shot him in the stomach with a paintball.

"You're dead."

"You bastard!" Stojan lunged, but Maxwell kicked him in the chest and sent him skidding into the hallway. He shot him one more time in the head with a paintball, knocking him out cold.

"What the hell are you doing, man?" Mark looked pissed and the rest of Maxwell's team looked a little uneasy.

"I'm the leader. He screwed us over so he's out." Maxwell took a step closer. "You gonna say something?"

Mark looked like he wanted to, but after he stared at Maxwell's determined, angry face, he backed down.

"Hmph. Anyone got any ideas now?"

One of the guys on Maxwell's original team stepped forward. "There's a guy in my platoon here. He's real big on tech stuff. I'm sure he's got a mini video monitor or something with him. Just in case."

Maxwell smirked. "Then let's go get him."

* * *

Down in the basement, gathered on a pile of boxes, Team 10 sat playing cards. They could only bet the cereal Aaron had thought to bring, but Reno's cards were the only real entertainment they had so they made the best of it. Everyone had been thrilled when Reno pulled out the pack after they'd successfully fixed the elevator situation.

The elevator that had dropped fifteen stories had actually gone through the bottom of the elevator shaft and ended up crashing into the subbasement. That entire area was inaccessible with all the debris.

Cloud had shown his men the ventilation shafts he'd been planning to use, and through the maintenance shaft in the basement and the other opening along the elevator shaft, they could access almost any part of the building without being in the open. It was ideal for guerilla tactics and ambushes.

Ironically, Cloud had gotten the idea from a movie, and realized that if Shinra's ventilation system was anything like this building's, then it was perfectly possible. After all, he'd gotten into a high-level conference room from a _bathroom_.

They'd been very successful for the first week, picked off one team and found two stashes of ammo and food, but were starting to run low on water. Everyone assumed the rest of the spare supplies tucked around the building had been found, leaving them the only option of stealing them from other teams.

Reno clambered out of the ventilation maintenance opening just as talk around the poker game turned to the water situation. "What'd you find?" John asked.

Reno ran most reconnaissance missions along with Dan. They actually made a fairly good team despite Reno's occasional snarky side comments.

"Is that Texas Hold 'Em?" Reno asked.

Dan climbed out next, covered in dust as usual.

"Yeah, but spill first. And don't look at my cards."

"I'm not even playing!"

"You'll whisper them to someone. You cheat like you're making big money off it."

"Don't be like that, John!" Aaron said, defending Reno.

As they continued to argue, Cloud looked at Dan who was brushing off his clothes. "What did you find?"

"Not good. Maxwell's team? They're like three teams combined. And they've got a hoard of food, water, a ton of spare guns, and plenty of ammunition."

Cloud sighed as he handed his cards to Reno to play for him. "Anything else?"

"Not much. Someone flooded the bathroom on the eleventh floor. I don't get why we don't just take an empty jug and fill it from the tap."

Aaron opened his mouth but Reno beat him to it. "You want to know what goes in the water below the plate? Everything the Science Department cooks up and more. Trust me; you don't want to be drinking that."

Cloud cut off that conversation before it could start. "We need to strike Maxwell's team. If they're that big, then they're a threat. What level are they situated on?"

"The eighteenth. They patrol the sixteenth too."

"The seventeenth," Reno added in as he laid down a flush on the box they were using as a table, "Is actually left pretty much alone. They've usually got one or two guys by the stairs there to be back-up."

"How well fortified is their base?" Cloud asked.

"It's in the CEO's room. Maxwell stays there with the rest of the team not patrolling. It's about five people, give or take. They only leave one person there and one person outside the door when they do a raid or attack somebody."

Cloud's eyebrow shot up. "You've been watching them," he accused without any judgment in his voice.

"So what. Point is, let's smash 'em."

"Yeah! I could go for a good fight," Aaron added in. John put down his cards and rolled his shoulders.

Dan sighed. "Can I get a drink before we go?"

* * *

Team 10 rode the elevator up to the sixteenth floor. Climbing out of the now permanently open roof hatch, Cloud and Dan watched as the other three scrambled up the girders until they came to the grated opening of the ventilation shafts on the fifteenth floor.

John pulled the grating away and dropped it on top of the elevator.

"Reno, John, and Aaron. You guys cause the distraction. Take down as many as you can without showing yourselves. Dan and I will recover as much as we can from base."

"Cool," Reno answered, along with other similar comments.

Reno, John, and Aaron clambered into the ventilation shaft as Cloud and Dan dropped back into the elevator and rode it up to the seventeenth floor. There they entered their own air duct, Dan first since he knew the way, and crawled through until finally they were above the was eerily similar to what Cloud had done in the beginning of AVALANCHE.

Maxwell was sitting on the CEO's old desk, talking to two other members. One more person was sitting on the side, a ration bar sticking out of his mouth as he fiddled with his gun.

"What do you see?" Cloud whispered as quietly as possible from behind Dan. Only Dan could see through the grating, and he didn't dare pass by it and turn around so Cloud could see too. The sound might be heard by someone.

"Three guys and Maxwell. And loads of ammo."

"Wait until there's one left inside. If you can, shoot him from here. I'll go into the hallway and wait for that one."

* * *

"Stop shoving!"

"I'm not!"

"I think I'm getting claustrophobic."

"If you're gonna throw up, do it on John."

"You don't vomit when you're claustrophobic."

Reno suddenly stopped crawling forward, becoming perfectly still. Taking the cue, John and Aaron froze too.

Voices drifted up to them through the thin metal of the ducts. "…Just heard it go by. It's like a ghost is riding it."

"Don't talk like that, man. Maybe you can only get on and off it on the lower levels."

"But the doors are melted shut and the one on the eighteenth floor is still _warm_. Isn't that _weird_?"

Reno started to snicker as he overheard the conversation. John rolled his eyes. "Just shoot them would you?"

"Fine, fine. Party pooper."

As quietly and carefully as possible, Reno lifted the grates and lowered them softly onto the other side of the hole. Popping his head down quickly, he managed to see that both guys were sitting against the walls, guns across their laps, talking.

With John gripping his legs, Reno lowered his upper body into the hallway, enough to get them into his line of sight. He was a good enough shot he could hit them both, but he had to be quick. Only his abdominal muscles were holding him up now, and if he relaxed even a little the gun or his belt might hit the side of the hole, alerting his targets.

He took aim, and fired two shots, the first hitting the guy in front in the back, the second hitting the guy next to him on the side of the head.

John pulled Reno back up, and the redhead easily shifted his body so he legs were in the hole before dropping down. John and Aaron followed quickly after.

"Nice shots," John said as he looked at the woozy guy who'd been shot in the head and the angry one with a shot to the back.

"I'll tie up this one," Aaron said, indicating the cadet with the furious expression.

Once his hands were tired together, Aaron and Reno went back into the ducts while John dragged the cadet to the stairs and carried him up them. Once there, he headed to the hallway with the CEO's office, and dropped him just around the corner.

"Be good and scream." Said John, quoting an old movie he liked.

He kicked the guy swiftly in the shin hard, hard enough to cause him to shout. Two guys immediately appeared in the hallway. Before they could get far, Aaron took one down with a close-range shot to the back, and the other a direct hit to the mid-chest by Cloud.

Once everyone was out of the ventilation shafts, they stormed the office. John took a grazing hit from one guy on the lower leg, and pretended to hop around once he'd been hit for the cameras just in case they penalized him.

Maxwell managed to slip into the adjoined room and lock the door while they shot the other man.

"Should we go after him?"

"I already checked that room. The vent shaft is blocked by boxes and a bookshelf. We can't get through there."

"I'll wait for him to leave," Dan put in.

Cloud shook his head. "Don't worry about him. We've still got a little more than a week left."

They packed up their haul and loaded it back through the vents outside the elevator into the cab. They rode it down to the basement where they had to jump down a couple inches because the elevator was raised on the leftover debris from the crash.

"How many people are left now, you reckon?" Aaron asked.

"I'd say, with the five we took down today, about thirtyish?" John answered.

"Huh."

"Things last time slowed down after the first week. Seems everyone would rather a lot of people live than fail," John continued.

Reno sighed. "Guess that means we'll be playing a lot of poker. Does anyone know any other games?"

* * *

Rufus unabashedly grinned as he slipped the request form into the paper shredder. Sometimes just denying the Science Department something as simple as a new order of epidermic syringes made his whole day better.

His airy office was quite large, with a number of spacious windows, plants demurely scattered about, and only a couple doors down from his father's. With several plush leather couches, a fine mahogany desk, and a small collection of paperweights on bookshelves with unread books, it was, as far as Rufus was concerned, not enough. No, his father's office was more his style, with the six massive windows behind the desk, the four pillars by the entrance, and the helicopter pad just a couple steps away. _That_ was what Rufus wanted.

As the only son of the formidable CEO of Shinra, Rufus had grown up always getting what he wanted. It might have seemed like a spoiled childhood of decadence, but he had never seen it that way. It was the reward for hard work, for his father's achievements, and as his son, he would also reap the rewards. All lives worked the same, Rufus knew, his was just particularly wealthy.

But some things, as he had learned the hard way, were not meant for him to have until his father said so. As a teenager he'd fought it tooth and nail, but with age came refinement of those techniques. And that had been the cue for Rufus to make it his, whether he had to go through his father—and anyone else—to do so.

Rufus imagined his relationship with his father was something like a long, complicated, business transaction. Blood was hardly relative to how they worked together—or against each other. And in the end, far as Rufus was concerned, it wouldn't really matter. His grandfather's death_ had_ been rather sudden after all.

He smoothed down the front of his white suit, a long ago learned habit of making sure he looked as wealthy and fine as he was. It wasn't vanity that had Rufus always dressing impeccably, at both the height of fashion and quality, it was expected of him. Glancing at the silver wristwatch embedded with six diamonds on his wrist, Rufus shuffled the paperwork together. He wanted to be out of here by noon if he expected to skip the executives meeting. He had absolutely no desire to be locked in a conference room with the old geezers, the General, and the absent chair of the Science Department's head.

Rufus shook his head, then ran his fingers through his hair to muss it up nicely. Stacking his papers in a neat pile, he pushed back his seat, and took a quick glance over the office to make sure nothing was out of place. He left then, offering a flirty smile to his secretary, as was , he didn't mean it, but at least he knew her name. More than many an executive could attest to. Plus, he thought he was significantly better off. Andrea was married with a daughter—no emotional tangles and having a child meant she was reliable…and easy to control.

He couldn't help the slight smirk that graced his features as he passed his father's door while walking to the glass elevator. His father was fat, lazy, and in utter denial that his company only belonged to him in name now—all of the elite knew President Shinra's power was becoming more limited with every paper he signed. Rufus was both embarrassed and pleased at the opportunity his father presented.

The glass elevator was waiting for him as he stepped inside. Soundlessly it began to move down, and he watched the floors fly by while casually examining the buttons of his suit and refolding the cuffs.

The control of the company, and subsequently the world, was in the hands of a variety of departments, who, through various agreements, sexual affiliations, or assassination threats, worked together on the most base level. It was how Shinra was run now, but it hadn't always been that way. The department heads were indolent now; too accustomed to the influence they wielded to give the sordid history of how they'd gotten those positions any thought. Rufus intended to capitalize on that in time.

Slowing to a gentle stop, the bell rang and a pleasant female voice announced the first floor. Stepping out, Rufus strode quickly over to the front doors, ignoring the eyes of the peons as they followed him. He met his car outside the front, slipping into the backseat of the black limo and shutting the door with a decisive click. If he bothered to look, he would see a Turk slipping out of the building and into the car behind him.

To cripple Shinra but without a killing blow, meant slowly cutting power from all areas at by one would lead to a bloodbath as others caught on. It would take precise planning, more than a little leverage over certain…volatile departments, but Rufus was quite confident in himself. After all, despite his father's current shortcomings, the man _had_ exponentially increased the power of the company. If his brilliance had been cut a little short, well, Rufus certainly had nothing to do with that.

He watched the skyscrapers, the people, and the other cars go by outside the window of his limo. He smoothed out his suit once again, before discreetly checking a mirror in one of his pockets.

He chanced another glance at his watch, and noticing the time, tapped the bulletproof glass between himself and the driver. Nodding, the driver slowed down a bit and turned off to another street for a more roundabout route.

Rufus leaned back into the black leather, flicking imaginary dust off his white pants. Being early to a meeting showed eagerness, and it was not the kind of impression Rufus wanted to give off to Corneo. The man was remarkably like his father, Rufus had begun to see, and too often the same tricks worked on both men.

The irony made Rufus smile.

* * *

General Sephiroth stepped into the command room of the SOLDIER Exam as he had every morning for the past week, his posture upright and proud, eyes moving quickly across the men standing at attention before murmuring an "at ease".

The first week of the exam had been a fruitful one, with nearly two-thirds of the boys already out. Those that were left would probably remain that way, as was the case in most exams. There would be skirmishes, and maybe a handful more would be taken out, but otherwise they'd bide the rest of the week rather than risk failing. They had enough supplies and a safe enough base to stay that way. These daily checks he made were just routine at this point, and to please his Lieutenant General who called it his, quote, "social dosage hour". Sephiroth did not find this particularly funny, but then, most jokes Zack made at his expense were only funny to Zack.

"Mornin' Seph." He saw said SOLDIER out of the corner of his eye pop open the outside door with his hip as he stepped in. Zack was juggling two mugs of coffee and an orange. Sephiroth caught the orange when Zack bounced it off his knee to him, grinning the whole while. "Figured you'd want something healthy. Anything new?"

One of the men on duty jumped to answer Zack's inquiry. "Lieutenant General, sir, we have the updates."

Sephiroth held the cold orange in his hand, glancing at Zack's two coffee mugs (one decaf for later, one expresso for now) as he pulled out a pocketknife to begin peeling it.

"Excellent," said Zack, "How's my Cloud doing?" He wandered closer to the monitors to get a good look as one of the men started to summarize the past twelve hours activity.

Sephiroth picked at the peel as he half-listened to the dialogue, thinking more about Strife and his strategy. He was both amused and slightly impressed by it, but it also bothered him. He'd left the first day of the exam wondering what the blond was planning to do from the basement. A quick glance over the blueprints of the building had been enough to tell him what Cloud was doing. Knocking out the elevators, permanently shutting the elevator doors (men picking up the "dead" had noted that), and attacking through air ventilation shafts of all things.

He removed the top and bottom of the skin of the orange and dropped it into the trash, before working on the meat of it, peeling it deftly in a circular loop until it began to coil like a spring. The heady scent of citrus filled the room, but no one turned back to look at him. Zack commanded the attention of the soldiers as he enthusiastically commented on Cloud's latest recorded escapade, eliciting laughs all the while. Zack's natural charisma was in full swing today.

What bothered Sephiroth about Strife's plan was not the cleverness of it—for Strife most definitely was clever—or the ingenuity, but rather how Strife had known the ventilation shafts' main entrance was in the basement in the first place. He would have to ask him.

After watching the tape again in his office of Cloud at the elevators and Megarian shooting one out, it had occurred to Sephiroth that Strife had never gone into that basement before, so how had he known it was there? Logic, perhaps, but how many office building's blueprints must the blond have seen to know that? Shina Headquarters was built that way, but not even Sephiroth had access to those blueprints, and the basements led to the underground labs, which probably didn't even _have_ blueprints.

Zack had not seemed to notice this inconsistency, being more concerned with Cloud's first display of the exam. Sephiroth had not brought it up with him yet, waiting to see what else Strife might do.

Sephiroth split the now skinless orange in half and took a slice off. He bit off half of it, sucking the juice out before it spilled down his chin, then popped the rest in. Oranges were not his favorite fruit, being rather messy (though give Zack a grapefruit and he could decimate a room), but he could appreciate the tangy taste of them, and certainly the health benefits.

He ignored the man on the far end of the room watching him a little too closely. Sephiroth was, unfortunately, accustomed to this kind of attention from soldiers outside the SOLDIER program and the higher ranks. He had found over time that most everyone stared, usually not so blatantly though, and it was really only the Firsts who seemed accustomed to his presence.

Zack was not quite as adept at obviously ignoring someone. It wasn't really in his nature, Sephiroth supposed. He too noticed the man when he came to stand by Sephiroth, shooting a sidelong glance at him before looking back at Sephiroth, completely nonchalant. "Think I can have a piece?"

Zack popped his piece into his mouth while indiscreetly shooting the man on the far end a look. Sephiroth knew Zack was only trying to be helpful, but it was often better to ignore than to react to it—too often somebody misinterpreted it.

Zack next to him sighed loudly before throwing his head back with his hands locked behind, chasing away the rather embarrassing memory before it completely resurfaced. "Well, Cloud's doing fine as usual. Has everything been cleared for the week after?"

Sephiroth glanced up at the screens to give them a cursory look, before handing the last two pieces of his orange to Zack. "Yes. And the Turks have put in their requests."

Zack's eyes flicked to the screens too, watching as Reno's grey image handed a box of ammo up to waiting hands. They weren't Cloud's hands as far as he could tell. Cloud didn't wear a watch. "Anyone of interest?" Zack asked casually. He bit down on the last slice of orange a bit harder than he meant to, and a dribble of juice almost slipped down his lip. He swiped at it and shot a glare at the same man from before who dared to look back.

"Reno," Sephiroth dropped, cleaning out the orange pith from under his fingernails. His hands would smell of orange all day now. Another reason he didn't particularly like them.

"Huh, couldn't see that one coming," Zack remarked sarcastically. He didn't sound any different, but Sephiroth knew he was relieved. Losing Strife to the Turks would have been… inconvenient.

* * *

Aaron woke to some quiet shuffling around in the basement not to far from his head. He groggily opened his eyes, listening vaguely as someone unzipped something then shuffled around some more before finally stopping. Hoping it was just Reno going for a piss, Aaron shut his eyes and buried his face a little deeper into his sweatshirt-turned-pillow.

No such luck. "Hey, Aaron…?"

Someone's warm finger poked his shoulder through the fabric of his shirt. Frustrated as he woke up a little more, Aaron rolled on to his back and reluctantly opened his eyes.

Dan hovered next to him, looking unsure and more than a little insecure. Aaron couldn't help superimposing an image of a small five-year-old Dan when he'd had a nightmare from the look on his face. He blinked groggily and wiped at the crust in his eyes, but the face remained.

"What is it?" His voice came out scratchy and still half-asleep, but at least it was quiet. Dan's face was starting to worry him, with its unnatural crease along his forehead and downturned lips. He gave a quick glance around to the others, but everyone was still breathing evenly.

"Can I ask you something?" Dan was crouched in the dark with a flickering lighter held in his hands. He looked younger despite the shadows, with his shoulders hunched as he rocked a little on his heels.

Aaron shook off the last bit of sleep. "Sure." He cracked his knee as he stood up, then padded a little ways further in the basement, away from the sleeping camp. It was hard to tell what they were standing around with only the meager light, but Aaron figured they were far enough away they wouldn't wake anyone. "Okay, tell me."

Dan glanced around first to stall for time, before sitting down in a desk chair, the lighter cradled in his lap. He looked rather nervous, so Aaron put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, you can tell me anything and I won't tell a soul, kay?"

"Yeah," Dan mumbled. "It's well… I'm not sure where I- where I… _fit in_ anymore."

Confused, Aaron sat down on a pile of folders, if a little precariously, before putting his hands on his knees. "Fit in?"

"I, well… um, you know how you…" The words were jumbled and muttered, which made it difficult to hear. Aaron almost leant forward more, but he knew how intimidating and probing that could feel, so he refrained. "How you… _don't_." He was flushed red even in the light, and it was clear how uncomfortable he was broaching this at all.

"Fit in…" Aaron rolled the words around his mouth, before his eyebrow shot up, and then he gave a short laugh before cutting it off abruptly, realizing everyone else was still sleeping. "You mean being gay?" When Dan stumbled out some kind of apology Aaron waved it off, still smiling. "It's no big deal to me. The only people who care are the ones who don't matter. Everyone wants to be accepted, I get that, but it's who accepts it that 's totally normal in SOLDIER and the army anyway, so I'm not worried."

Dan fidgeted but didn't say anything, and Aaron figured he already had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"You know, liking guys is totally cool. I mean, it shouldn't mean anything to anyone else. Your life and all."Aaron rubbed his knee, unsure if Dan wanted advice, comfort, or something else. He'd never really done this before since he'd always been the odd man out back home, and he certainly didn't want his first stint as a councilor to mess the guy up more.

Dan looked rather alarmed though, and Aaron thought he might have jumped too far. "I- I don't?" Dan murmured.

It ended up coming out like a question, and Aaron rubbed his knuckles along his knee as he thought about Dan's predicament—which he was apparently on the fence about whether he _was_ in it in the first place. "Look, no matter which way you go—or both—no one but you should care." Aaron tilted his head at Dan, tapping the boy on the knee when he looked like he might fidget his way off the chair. "Trust me, I know how important it is for the people you love to accept you. But don't deny being yourself for them."

That leap of faith seemed to be the right thing to say. Dan's face reflected it. "Yeah…" He still didn't sound very convinced though, and Aaron frowned.

"Hey look. You never have to act on it if you don't want to. You _can_ ignore it." Dan looked like he was about to interject was some more denial or start spouting some kind of family values (Aaron imagined this might be one of the reasons Reno didn't take to him), so he hastily tacked on a little more, "Whatever it is."

He couldn't imagine what Dan might be pretending his homosexuality was, but it was obvious he was hiding it. And that was never good, Aaron knew.

Aaron leaned forward and slipped his hand into Dan's smaller grip that was cupping the little flame. The cadet jumped, but Aaron kept his grip. "It's a part of you, and you'll have to accept it someday." He rubbed a thumb along the back of hand soothingly, trying to convey comfort even though every hair on Dan's body was raised up in alarm. "I've seen guys before who just can't take it. They get all weird about it, you know, defensive, paranoid even. And I feel bad for those guys because, like you said, they don't fit in. Not with gays, not with straights, and not with themselves. Sad, really."

Dan hadn't relaxed, but he was beginning to stop looking like he'd jump off the desk chair and bolt. "I won't be there," Dan said, but he still had that childish uncertainty to his tone that Aaron couldn't just brush off. He just shook his head.

"Don't let it get to you. It only becomes a big deal when you make it one." He stepped away and helped Dan brush out some of the dust from the back of his purple chocobo pajama pants, ignoring the boy's jump.

They were just starting to walk back when Dan spoke up. "You make it a big deal." He cast a rather innocently curious look at Aaron that made Dan seem about six.

"I make it a big deal because there's nothing that makes me laugh harder than seeing guys three times my size jump and scream." Dan didn't seem to get the humor, but Aaron didn't mind. "Plus, it makes it easier for others since plenty of guys think it's not 'manly' to talk about your feelings. If you ever want to talk about _whatever_, just ask. Now, we should sleep. Cloud is merciless in the morning."

Aaron didn't get a thank you, but he hadn't expected one. Dan's thoughtful face was enough.

* * *

Reeve flicked off the lights in his cluttered office and stepped out on to the mundane hallway carpet, hiding a yawn in the shoulder of his jacket since he had another box of paperwork to drop off before he could head home. Tonight he didn't have to meet with Reno again, which was both a pleasure and a disappointment. Reno was, in many aspects, a rather good piece of entertainment for Reeve. He almost always gave Reeve something to chew on when he went to work the next day. But with him at exams it also meant another evening free to settle down with a glass of wine and relax.

He started down the hallway, passing several storage closets and dark offices, before coming to the one lit room on the floor where the night-staff secretary was. She hardly glanced at him when he dropped the box of papers off in front of her desk, just staring at the flickering screen on her computer, tapping an inch-long nail against the desk.

He murmured a quick goodnight to her, but she didn't even blink. Like a zombie from one of those early sci-fi B-movies_._

With the exams in full swing, Reeve's paperwork still didn't change. It never did. The problem with the Urban Development department is they were always given the same amount of paperwork—the difference was during the SOLDIER Exams or say, a parade, the paperwork was actually _important_.

Speaking of important, Reeve had passed by a certain Turk leader earlier in the day that looked like he was on a mission. Reno had mentioned he'd had a "meeting" with Tseng, but hadn't offered up details. Reeve assumed it hadn't gone well.

He adjusted his briefcase over his shoulder with his now empty hands, before walking down the hallway, turning at the right corner, and opening the door on the end that led to the stairwell.

Reeve led a, admittedly, rather boring life. Unfortunately with the death of his family he'd sort of drifted out of any "fun" activities and into the monotonous drone of cubicle life. He therefore had to spice it up somehow, and that was what often kept him going when things became especially dull.

Instead of going down the stairwell, Reeve headed up. He went up nearly ten more stories until a small service door was found, almost hidden in a corner. This storage closet was like the attic of Shinra, and had a number of surprising things inside. Reeve had found it long ago, and came up often to entertain a hobby he had abandoned after childhood: tinkering with machines.

There was of course, Cait Sith, who was hidden up here in a box. He'd spent a good four months after the funerals obsessively fixing up the robotic cat and the giant moogle it rode on. He done several more projects over the next series of years but had finally begun to slow down when he started to recover from the loss. After Reno's distraction and minor chaos he could feel at the edges of Shinra, Reeve was ready for another one.

The attic was full of boxes, dust, and actually a number of small fiends. Activating Cait Sith, Reeve wandered into the old machine area while the moogle and robotic cat dealt with any of the smaller monsters that might want to snack on Reeve's ankles.

He dug around for a while into various boxes, tinkering a little with small clocks, broken fans, and a number of ancient computers without much interest, really just waiting to find something that would keep him busy for another month or two.

It was after perhaps forty-five minutes into the search that he finally came across something. It was a long black tube, collapsible, with a variety of small gears, wires, and interlocking mirrors inside the thick base of it. Pulling out more pieces from the bottom of the box, Reeve almost reverently found a lens cap, several broken legs that might have once been a stand, and when he laid them all out together it was clearly an old-fashioned, mechanical telescope.

The eyepiece was cracked, the remote to control the whole thing long disappeared into the bowels of Shinra, but it was clearly a work of art. He found a variety of different colored lenses from broken cameras, mirrors, and all kinds of glass lying around, and he gathered them together. Perhaps he could make something useful out of it. With that in mind, he emptied the box of the rest of its contents, put all the pieces he could find inside, and took it home.


	25. Chapter 25

Writer's Note: This is the big turning point chapter, so pay close attention. For all those reviews: Thank you!

**Edit:** 1. Thank you to CNome, Stalker of Stories, and Etrixan for the formatting and grammar issues. 2. I have changed the red materia to green materia. Thank you to silversyren for pointing out that red materia is summon materia, and it would be strange to give a cadet one.

Disclaimer: I make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty-Five (07-12-09)**

Edited: 05-25-10

"Congratulations, cadets, on passing."

Cheers erupted from the remaining thirty cadets, all standing outside the building they'd been holed up in for the past two weeks. Everyone started shouting and laughing, throwing things in the air, patting each other on the back, and grinning until their faces hurt_. _Reno might have attempted a snort at the anti-climatic speech, but smiled all the same, too happy to really care. The euphoria that welled up inside Cloud's chest was unimaginable, and all he wanted to do was sit down and cry, laugh and run, do everything and nothing at once. It was as a dream, long forgotten, he'd always harbored somewhere inside came true.

It was a moment of Cloud's life he'd never felt he'd reach, and hearing those words from Sephiroth's mouth for him was enough to forget the past for a second and just relish the glory of the moment. He'd made SOLDIER. Finally.

All thirty of them came together in a group, jumping up and down, waving bandanas around, excitedly shouting about SOLDIER. Already there were cadets sharing stories of what had happened in the exam. Even Cloud, normally not one for those kinds of festivities, was in the group, his arm gripped by a beaming Reno whose face was red and his smile nearly splitting his face as he congratulated everyone, even Maxwell, and people Cloud didn't even know.

The shoves, the pats on the back and even the ruffled hair didn't bother Cloud for once. He could hardly remember how he'd gotten here, what had happened, except that it was SOLDIER.

_SOLDIER_.

The dream he'd chased after across two lifetimes.

* * *

They'd partied that night.

All thirty of them crashed a bar and drank until even the last of their rations were down the toilet when they inevitably vomited it all back up. Cloud, who typically had been unable to get drunk because of mako, now enjoyed the slight dizziness accompanying the handful of beers he'd drank. He was sitting on a barstool watching Dan make a fool of himself on the dance floor.

Zack had passed up on Cloud's admittedly shy invitation to join them, saying it was a celebration for them. The blond hadn't had time to be disappointed when Reno started to drag him down the street shouting about victory shots.

He sipped slowly, still on the high from passing the exam. He was in SOLDIER!

He could feel the silly grin threatening to spill across his face for the hundredth time that evening, the same thought always bringing it out.

Aaron took the barstool next to Cloud; his face lit a bright red from the booze and laughter they'd been sharing all night.

"Hey Cloud," he slurred slightly. He still wasn't nearly as drunk as many of their compatriots. "What'll you do now?"

Cloud shrugged. He was still rational enough to know that 'saving the Planet' would sound strange, even from a plastered cadet.

"Well," Aaron, plowed on, seemingly uncaring that Cloud hadn't answered. "I'm going to find a nice guy. We can share an apartment, and I'll do the decorating since I've always wanted to do that, and he should be able to cook…"

Aaron continued to ramble on a bit as Cloud thought about what kind of sword he might get in SOLDIER. Double-edge buster sword like Tsurugi? Did they make those? Even Zack's was only single-edged. Well, maybe he could design his own…

"Hey, when do we get to go home?" Aaron leaned over to him, almost going for a conspiratorial whisper but not quite able to pull it off.

"Leave?"

"Not forever, just to say hi to mum."

Cloud sighed, his thoughts turning downward at the unpleasant topic. Aaron, apparently a drunk who just liked to talk, managed to turn it around.

"My mum, she's gone. But, you know, I gotta put flowers down for her. And dad'll wanna hear the good news in person. He's tough like that, you know? And I've got a younger brother that'll love to know it, and…"

Aaron murmured on a little longer before bursting into laughter as one guy spilled his drink, slipped on it, and still managed to chance a glance up a women's skirt. Aaron cheered the guy on when he got smacked by the woman, then turned back to Cloud.

"A toast, Cloud, to SOLDIER."

"To SOLDIER," Cloud echoed.

Cloud tipped his head back as Aaron left and looked at the bottom of the wineglasses hanging from the top of the bar, smiling at them. He'd passed. He was going to be in SOLDIER. Already the future was looking brighter, and to Cloud it had always been a storm-front. He smiled into his glass before accidentally snorting in some of his beer as Reno was slapped upside the head by a fiery blonde woman his friend had been propositioning.

* * *

Cloud sat down on his bunk with a low thump, wincing as the pounding in his head magnified. He could hardly remember last night, and he couldn't recall making it back to the bunker at was all a brilliant blur of bright colors, teary eyes, and beaming faces. He'd been so _happy_. Cloud couldn't remember the last time he'd been so euphoric. In fact, he didn't think he'd _ever_ been that happy before.

He wished, for a somber moment, it could have been like this with AVALANCHE at the end of their journey.

Now, of course, the hangover settled in, and he still had duties. Popping two pain pills dry, he shuffled to the bathroom to shower off the sweat and alcohol. Reno and Dan, along with Aaron who had bunked for the night in their room, were still dead asleep.

He looked haggard in the mirror at first glance, and also infinitely younger. Some of the shadow in his eyes was gone, and despite the clear signs of a late-night party with no real sleep, he looked better than he had in years.

_The last time he'd had this much to drink he'd ended up in the public bathroom jerking off to another Sephiroth-fantasy. At least this time he hadn't needed that to get out of the brooding haze he usually ended up in when drunk._

By the time he left the bathroom his hangover had dimmed to a low throb he could easily ignore. Reno was just beginning to groggily wake as Cloud pulled on his cadet uniform one last time.

"Morning," Cloud murmured to Reno. The redhead's hair was sticking up every which way, his eyes were bloodshot, and he still had on the clothes he'd worn last night. The thick scent of women's perfume lingered over him, Cloud noticed as he passed him on his way out the door. Reno didn't seem to even register he was awake.

Out in the corridor, Cloud bounced in place a couple of times, feeling more energetic than he had in years despite the headache. Deciding to work it out of his system and get some fresh air, he wandered out of the cadet barracks and out on to the field.

He'd barely jogged a hundred yards before he saw a group of SOLDIERs clumped together on the far end of the field. Pulling to the edge of the field in the shadow of Shinra Headquarters, Cloud jogged quietly closer until he spotted seven helicopters, all emblazoned with the Shinra logo. There were sitting on the grass, quietly for now, and Cloud knew he must have been totally dead in his sleep to have missed the sound of that many choppers so close to the barracks. Cloud squinted at the group and spotted Zack standing by the lead helicopter, talking with several Second Class SOLDIERs.

Cloud couldn't make out what kind of mission the group was there for. Five helicopters, but only four Second Class SOLDIERs. Were they waiting for Thirds?

"You're up early."

Cloud whirled around in place, but remnants of his hangover made him wince and unconsciously touch his forehead when he spun too fast. The world looked a little fuzzy for a couple of precious seconds, seconds that counted if it had been a beast behind him. But Cloud already knew with a growing dread, exactly who he was talking to.

As soon as he'd gathered his bearings and could see straight, his eyes locked on the General's, his unnaturally green gaze had a hint of the predator in him. Cloud tensed instinctively.

Sephiroth didn't say anything more, just looking at him, his stare unreadable.

There was a prolonged pause as Cloud seemed to fully register that the _General_ was leaning against the back of the building staring at him. There was no way the man had missed Cloud's debilitating seconds after he'd spun too fast, and Cloud internally winced at the show of weakness.

Now that he could actually see the General, he noticed he was dressed in full combat attire, something Cloud hadn't seen properly since the last reincarnation he'd fought. It brought back a strange mixture of memories that left Cloud feeling a little hollow and a little nostalgic. "Good morning, General."

He hid a lot of colorful vocabulary as the General stared him down. Cloud felt a trickle of sweat form on the back of neck. He was not at his best this morning and confrontation with Sephiroth could be disastrous. As usual.

"A rough morning, Strife?"

Sephiroth did not make small talk. Cloud knew instinctively the man was circling him with his words, waiting for the kill. Wit had never been Cloud's specialty, and he felt it keenly now. "Yes, sir."

"Admirable of you to show up early then. A trait that will save you from future punishment…" Cloud's whole body seized up as Sephiroth seemed to deliberately linger on that word, though the blond attributed it to his overactive imagination jerking awake, when Sephiroth continued on smoothly. "…unlike the Lieutenant General."

Cloud's mouth felt dry and he wanted to swallow, but that little tell would be enough to show that he had no idea what the General was talking about, and he hadn't really been paying as much attention as he should have been.

"Yes, sir."

Sephiroth was still leaning against the wall, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he was no angry. Just… looking at him. Hard.

Masamune was nowhere in sight, but Cloud was able to take a fleeting glance at the full picture of Sephiroth against the wall as the man deliberately looked past him to the helicopter pad again. He had on the outfit from Nibelheim, which made him look every part of the Great General Sephiroth.

His long black overcoat had with the metal pauldrons strapped on above it. The infamous knee-high boots buckled tight and the harness for Masamune was all in place. He was dressed in solid black, with just the brilliance of his silver-white hair, the metal shoulder guards, and the stretch of corded muscle along his chest the only color otherwise. He looked impressive and regal as always, and Cloud fought the instinctive need to hunch his shoulders.

He straightened up again as soon as he realized it, aware that that was an action a younger Cloud would have indulged in—the one that had his whole life hinged on the dream he'd just achieved.

"Zack will have saved you a seat on the first helicopter, Strife. I am sure he wishes to extend his congratulations."

Sephiroth swept some of his silver hair aside when the wind blew it a little forward. Cloud could feel his gut clench in trepidation as the General strode away, heading over to the cluster of SOLDIERs.

He opened his mouth, words catching for a second before his courage reared up again. "Thank you, sir," he said clearly, almost smiling.

Sephiroth half-turned, looking perhaps mildly surprised, but mostly amused. "You're welcome."

Cloud could feel the automatic urge to overanalyze the conversation until he found some hidden meaning, but resisted when he saw two other cadets start to stumble over to the helicopters. If the panther hadn't pounced yet, then what was he waiting for?

* * *

"Shit, they did that on purpose!"

Reno's outburst managed to start up the laughter of several Seconds standing to the side. The cadets, huddled together by the five helicopters, were looking homicidal, upset, or barely determined. It was, all in all, a poor combination.

"We'd told you you'd passed," Zack said, stepping forward, his buster sword strapped to his back. "Not that you'd made SOLDIER."

Reno scowled angrily, spitting on the ground. "That's so cheap," he muttered under his breath.

Cloud wasn't looking at either the General or Zack. He couldn't help the sting of betrayal at Zack's words, or the powerful stare he could feel from the General on the side of his head when it lingered a second longer. He was turned away from them, staring at the ground and willing himself not to throw up, cry, or hurt someone. SOLDIER… How had he not known about the second test?

"Gentlemen, if you would," Zack indicated with flourish the five helicopters. "All will be explained when we land again. I'd suggest you take this time to consider what you're entering. SOLDIER is more than just an elite branch of the military. We are the best for a reason, and we don't take disappointment well." He offered them a cheesy wink before pulling himself up into the first helicopter.

Cloud refused to glower, instead drawing on his tightly wound self-control and started for the helicopter Zack had climbed into. It would be childish to get into another helicopter, and Zack would take personal offense, which, though tempting now, would have consequences.

Just as he reached the helicopter, Zack spoke up. "Congrats on passing, Cloud. Seriously, you were awesome."

Zack was smiling at him widely but softly, before grabbing the front of his uniform and all but dragging him into the seat across from his. Cloud exhaled and pointedly didn't make eye contact. He didn't remove the offending hand though as he was plopped down into the seat.

"You know I would have told you if I could." As soon as Zack sat back down Cloud strapped himself in, buckling up before looking back outside. He wasn't as mad with Zack as he looked, but rather angry with himself for not seeing this, for not _knowing_. How could he not have? It was impossible to hide a whole second test from all of Shinra. Had he really been that self-absorbed before? Had he been that self-absorbed _now_?

With his face turned to the open side of the aircraft, he saw the one other cadet get in and take the seat next to Cloud. Zack, with his back to the pilot, greeted him enthusiastically despite the sour look on the kid's face.

Cloud heard the footsteps coming up to the helicopter even over the sound of Zack's cheerful voice blathering on to the unsuspecting cadet next to him. Sephiroth had always been distinct in nearly every way, and his footfalls, soft, but not silent yet, unyielding and evenly spaced as he strode forward calmly.

He smoothly climbed into the helicopter after setting Masamune down on the floor by their feet, locking it in place with a couple straps set on the floor. Cloud did not look at the General as he did this, but he listened closely as the leather of his outfit creaked when he settled into the seat next to the pilot.

The doors on the sides were shut and the rotors began to spin. Cloud heard the cadet by him gasp as they started to pick up speed before the sound drowned out all else. His eyes were focused on the sheath for Masamune, a part of the sword that, Cloud realized with a jolt, he'd never seen before.

Sephiroth didn't wear the scabbard in combat, ostensibly because it would be difficult to remove a seven-foot sword from a seven-foot sheath quickly. It was made of a hard wood, with designs drawn into it that Cloud recognized as a battle scene of some kind. There were even words across the length of it, but he did not know the language.

He was snapped out of his reverie by Zack's foot kicking his shin playfully. "Come on Cloud, don't be like that! You've got the home-court advantage here that I had nothing to do with!"

Zack was smiling at him widely as he half shouted to be heard, hiding his worry behind it. Cloud looked up at him finally, barely able to hear Zack, but he knew what his friend was worried about. "It's not you."

Zack frowned at him, confused now. Cloud just glanced out the window at the desert around Midgar as they left Shinra and the city behind.

He couldn't stop the mildly helpless feeling in his gut that was growing as they flew on. He knew that changing things would make his knowledge of the future less reliable, but he'd grown used to being semi-omniscent now. That was dangerous, Cloud knew, and now that he recognized it he was angry at himself for it.

"Don't worry, Cloud! It's going to be fine! You'll see!" Zack was laughing, and though it wasn't entirely genuine Cloud offered him a half-smile as a sort of truce. This time Zack's smile was real.

* * *

Cloud had ridden many helicopters before, along with Cid's airship, and several other dinky little planes, ships, and cars. He could recognize the landscape from a plane as well as he could from the ground, and as the familiar mountains came closer and closer on the trip, Cloud began to feel a strange mixture of anticipation and dread inside.

Nibelheim.

* * *

The landing was smooth, a far cry from some of the crashes, wrecks, and near-misses Cloud had had before. He was glad for his earlier experiences with a gung-ho pilot like Cid. Zack was the first out, helping Cloud and the other cadet out of their seats. He wasn't even a little wobbily from the flight, and Cloud envied him for that. At least, until he lost his train of thought when he saw Sephiroth gracefully dismount from the helicopter and stride out to where the others were landing. The background of the Nibel mountains—cold, unmoving slopes of solid rock that had led many a man to his death—something heavy and cold lay in his gut.

When they'd all regrouped and everyone with airsickness had emptied their stomachs, the SOLDIERs stepped forward. "Cadets, the second and final examination of the SOLDIER Exam begins here, at the edge of the Nibel Mountain Range."

Everyone followed with the requisite awe of the mountains, and annoyance at a second exam, but it fell quiet after just moments after he'd spoken. They were still feeling the presence of the top two people in SOLDIER, and it affected the crowd.

"Here your goal is singular: reach Rocket Town on the other side in one week. You'll be given one weapon, one materia, and this ration bag." The SOLDIER explaining this held up the bag to show everyone. Cloud noted how light it looked. Clearly they were expected to find their own food and water. "At midnight of the seventh day, if you have not reached Rocket Town, we return to Midgar without you. Those that are left behind," he had to raise his voice as several cadets murmured about that rule, "are discouraged from returning to Shinra."

It was a harsh proclamation, but not unexpected. Cloud could already feel the chill wind coming off the mountains and there was even a dusting of snow on the ground, He knew that Shinra had probably deliberately chosen the Nibel Range because it was winter and it was the most dangerous time to be up there.

As everyone began to talk again, Cloud felt a large hand descend on his shoulder and steer him out of the group. "See, home-court advantage." Zack put his arm around Cloud's shoulders and guided them to the other side of a helicopter and turned them to face the mountains, their back to the rest of the group who were scrabbling to get the heaviest ration bag and the sharpest weapon. No one seemed to have noticed Cloud and Zack sneaking away for a moment.

"I won't try to slip you an extra weapon or materia," Zack began, and Cloud kept his eyes steady on the mountains as he listened. "You grew up here didn't you? Pity we can't see your hometown. Look, I just wanted to say good luck—not that you need it—and that I'll be waiting for you on the other side."

Zack squeezed his shoulders once, laughing a bit at Cloud's grip on his wrist for a second before the blond relaxed it, feeling silly when Zack laughed and not his ghost. Cloud murmured his soft thanks, which Zack waved off as he walked away. He was about to go back around the aircraft and to get his own supplies when the General stepped in front of him from behind the helicopter, blocking his escape.

_Fuck._

Cloud slid his foot back to balance himself better automatically. With the helicopter between them and the rest of the group, and with Zack as ample distraction, Cloud suspected Sephiroth might have planned this.

"Hello," his mouth curved up in an echo of a familiar wicked grin, "Cloud."

Something molten in Cloud's stomach jerked at the sound of his name coming off Sephiroth's tongue, but also something darker. His right hand twitched at the familiar phrase.

"G-General." Cloud winced at the stutter and took a step back as Sephiroth took an authoritative one forward. He couldn't think of a single way to get out of this, all the synapses in his brain had shut down as he stared down Shinra's most dangerous SOLDIER and no doubt the best fighter in the world.

"You know what I'm here for."

The images that flashed through Cloud's mind would have made him blush if all the blood hadn't drained out of his face earlier.

"I don't, General, no," but his words had no confidence, and the General knew that.

Sephiroth took another step forward, and Cloud could now see the line of trees at the edge of the clearing in his peripheral vision. He hadn't realized he'd been steadily backing up.

"The amount of inconsistencies that follow you around are, frankly, absurd, cadet. I expect you to explain yourself."

Cloud swallowed at the hard stare he was getting from Sephiroth. The General didn't look prepared to back down at all without a suitable answer.

Sephiroth's eyes flashed to the left suddenly, and then his whole posture, the aura, everything reverted back to the normally tightly-controlled leader. Cloud very nearly thought he had hallucinated the complete change from threatening to normal.

"I wanted to personally congratulate you, Strife, on your performance."

Cloud couldn't think up a response, his brain still trying to cope that he suddenly was out of the danger zone—at least temporarily. He wondered what Sephiroth suspected, since it was clear Cloud couldn't hide everything.

Zack, Cloud could now see, was coming up to them from around the helicopter with a sword and the ration bag in hand. Cloud wanted to slump boneless to the ground with relief.

"I expect," the General continued, his eyes still cataloguing everything in a disturbing way, "that you'll be one of the first to return. I would like to speak to you about your performance and personal training then." Cloud didn't miss the obvious threat behind that.

_We'll continue this later._

With that, Sephiroth turned and nodded at Zack before striding away. Zack handed Cloud the sword and a red material along with the ration bag. "Sephiroth's brand of encouragement is a little intimidating, huh?"

Cloud just nodded, swallowing away any words. If Zack wasn't as far along in the mystery as Sephiroth, Cloud wasn't going to help him. He'd like to keep his friends for as long as he could.

"Well," Zack gave him a swift once over, obviously restraining his mother-hen instincts. "Good luck." With a pat to the back, Cloud joined the rest of the group waiting by the forest to enter.

* * *

The forest that covered the Nibel Mountains was unforgiving and very much alive. Despite the cold weather and frequent snows, the trees were thick stalks of bark and sharp branches, and the ground was made of layers of frozen leaves and dirt that was hard-packed and icy cold.

Cloud had grown up in this world, and though he wouldn't say he was at home here—he had long forsaken the idea of Nibelheim as his _home_—he was far more knowledgeable here than the city and town boys that made up the rest of the cadets.

Reno looked distinctly out of his element, out in the wilds were all his street smarts and tough talk were near useless against the infamous Nibel wolves and the icy winds that rained down on them from time to time.

Cloud had intended to break off on his own, knowing that this second exam offered him the best chance possible to finish up business in Nibelheim long before that dreaded mission came around. Having Reno and Dan tag along would just be a complication.

Of course, his attempts to shake them off were for naught. Reno knew he was from the area, and that was enough for his old team from the first exam to regroup around him. They clearly believed if they stuck with him they'd survive this in one piece.

Which was probably true, but Cloud also knew if they stuck together, they should be fine without him.

The first night out in the woods was a cold one, and Cloud forbade them to make a fire. The smell of it would draw the wolves, Cloud knew, and they were vicious, especially in the winter when food was scarce.

"How long do you think it'll take to get to the other side?"

Dan was shivering in his military-issue flak jacket and boots, rubbing his arms for some semblance of warmth and huddling with Aaron.

"Three days." Cloud wasn't in the mood for talk. He needed to break from the group, but as their impromptu leader, he had to deal with his conscience saying not to abandon them, and the fact that they always had one eye on him for guidance.

"That's not that long then. I thought it was farther." John had a thicker coat on than the others, and he had brought his shoulders together with his hands in his pockets attempting to keep warm. He looked far better off than Reno, who was curled into Aaron, for once not complaining of homosexual tendencies. Body heat won out.

Cloud didn't respond, just leaned against the tree and tried to figure out what he could do. He could tell John or Reno where the pass over the ridge was to reach Rocket Town, but they would want to know why he was leaving, and John might be satisfied with a simple answer, but Reno would not.

* * *

The second day in moving towards the ridge they struck the path. Hunters and weathered hikers, Cloud explained briefly, used this to get to Rocket Town. But only in the summer when the elements weren't so vicious.

That night they slept just off the road. Cloud did not, however. Instead, after some deliberation, he wrote a quick note on the back of Reno's hand, saying to follow the road over the ridge, and at the fork take the right turn. Simple, and as long as they didn't run into wolves or eat the poisonous mushrooms, they would be fine.

Cloud shifted his bag on his back, adjusting the dull sword on his waist before setting off down the path. It was chilly tonight, and the trees creaked and moaned ominously in the wind.

He followed the footpath until it began to curve, leaving it then to cut a straight line through dense forest. He was more likely to run into monsters this way, but the trees here were thick enough that only the smaller ones could get through.

He fought off a number of them as he trekked, aware that there seemed to be one or two following him, poorly shadowing where he went. Cloud wasn't worried about them though. The only challenge up in these parts of the woods was the wolves.

* * *

Dan stumbled around a tree, trying to keep far enough away so that the wind and groaning trees would mask his footsteps, but close enough he could still see Cloud. Lying on the cold ground pretending he was falling asleep when really he was wide awake with every owl's call and little animal's scurrying feet, he'd been aware as soon as Cloud moved to leave.

He didn't know what the blond thought he was doing, but Dan didn't believe for a second he could be leaving them. Maybe he was scouting? Or he'd heard something and was going to investigate?

Deciding it had to be the latter, maybe a monster or one of the wolves Cloud had mentioned, Dan got up and followed after him.

He wasn't sure why he didn't announce himself, why he didn't move the moment he heard Cloud packing up his bag. That wasn't like him and he knew it. But there was something in Cloud's demeanor that bothered Dan. And so Dan found himself falling behind Cloud, ducking behind trees and watching as the cadet swiped away the fiends that approached with his sword, lazily almost, or even using a little flare of materiato banish the ones that were bigger.

Dan had gasped when the first group of monsters attacked Cloud, and had almost run out to help the blond if he'd needed it. Cloud turned out to be more than fine; in fact annoyed the monsters had even approached. He was more shocked at how calmly Cloud was taking these real-life battles than how he blew through them.

Cloud left the path though, and that was when he'd gotten lost.

All the trees looked the same, and with the ground so frozen solid Cloud left almost no footprints. It was dark out and cold, and Dan was beginning to regret going so far after the blond. He obviously didn't mean to come back, but now Dan feared he himself wasn't going to be able to _come_ back.

Something snapped behind him, and Dan whipped around, blunted sword out and ready to attack. Cloud seemed to have no problem with these little monsters, but Dan had never fought one outside of simulations and the low level ones they brought into the Shinra compound. Out here in the wild—the _wild!_—Planet only knew what kinds of things were there.

What if it was a wolf? Or a dragon? What if it poisoned him? It might have huge fangs, or a spaded tail; it could kill him in one swing if it were strong enough. And who would find his body? Lost in the Nibel Forest to be eaten by whatever came by next? Dan's hands began to shake as his mind conjured up all the images he didn't want to see. Monsters with mouths so full of fangs they couldn't close them, acid dripping paws, wolves the size of boulders, his body broken and bleeding on the ground…

There was a shadow by a tree on his left, and Dan turned to meet it, sword out in front of him, hands trembling even as he held it. He couldn't hear it, but it almost looked like a figure was leaning against the tree, red eyes glowing.

* * *

As Cloud got closer to the town, the monsters began to give way and the trees began to thin out. He could now make out some of the star-studded sky, the velvet black so complete out here without the lights and smog of Midgar to block it.

Cloud breathed in the air, recalling the bitter tang of pine and the freshness of winter he had given up long ago. The acrid dryness of the desert his self-exile had left him in had nothing on this, though it brought back painful memories with it.

The land began to rise as he walked, and he knew he had to be close.

Finally cresting the hill, Cloud put his hand on the trunk of a thin tree, still young compared to the ones deeper into the forest, and looked down. The town of Nibelheim laid stretched out before him: the little cozy houses nestled next to each other, the town hall, the inn where he remembered sleeping once.

He didn't look at the faces of the people in the evening light, or let himself reminisce on the bitter memories of his childhood home. He thought briefly of his mother, nothing more than a warm sensation. He felt love for her, but it wasn't a part of him, distant rather, because he could hardly remember her.

Cloud didn't entertain the thought of seeing her. He wasn't ready yet, and he almost was afraid.

His eyes landed upon something else.

The Shinra Mansion.


	26. Chapter 26

Writer's Note: This chapter is a little bit of a review and filler. It's necessary, but not as exciting as previous chapters or future ones.

Thank you for all the fabulous reviews! You guys are really great about long reviews and personal ones. I'm blown away by it.

**Note**: Thank you Stalker of Stories and Etrixan once again, for catching the little things. I absolutely love when ff(dot)net put two sentences together and cuts off the end and beginning of each so you have no idea what I'm talking about. Doesn't everyone like a puzzle?

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty-Six (08-10-09)**

Edited: 01-29-11

Cloud deftly followed the woods on the fringe of Nibelheim as he made his way to the mansion. He could just make out the shapes of the chimneys of the main center of town where the inn and Tifa's home were, though it was mostly covered by the smaller homes out here.

Although he only had foggy memories of his childhood, everything seemed to be the same. The Tudor-style houses were two stories at their highest, with simple wooden designs carved into them, dormer windows peeking into bedrooms, and gables shooting up into the his cover he sawchildren from the town playing on the streets even as night fell, and several mothers gossiping together as they watched them.

He'd been forced to stop when others came too close. Nibelheim was a fairly dangerous place to live, and being this close to the forest, people had grown use to keeping an eye out for movement within it. Cloud could remember a wolf attack as a child that had taken a man's leg.

The women were gossiping about travelers to the town, a small group of mercenaries from the sounds of it. Cloud held perfectly still behind a thick tree trunk as the women passed by, making comments on the men's exotic looks and outfits. The blond managed not to roll his eyes. He had never realized how far removed Nibelheim was from everyone else until he'd reached Midgar and seen his first redhead—everyone in Nibelheim was a brunette or a blonde.

This self-isolation created a sense of "us and them" that has caused the scorn towards his mother for marrying an "outsider". He'd never had much tolerance for that kind of narrow-thinking because of that.

When they finally turned the corner moving back into town, Cloud crept onward, up a small slope following a narrow winding road that led to the side of the Shinra Mansion.

He could already see the brick wall surrounding the building, tall and imposing, along with the six huge windows and ivy creeping up the sides. He scaled the wall easily and landed in a tough patch of bushes in the front yard.

He crossed the grounds quickly, the grass knee-high and full of garbage, until he came to the rotting, once grand, wooden double doors. Glancing behind him he could see the wrought iron gate, the stairs that led directly into town, and the roof of Tifa's house, smoke rising in spirals from it.

Cloud pushed back any memories of this moment in a different time, and pushed open the doors.

Through the foyer the main hall was exactly as he remembered. A piano lay off to the far left, and the only light was through the dusty and broken windows at the back of the house. The place looked like a haunted mansion with cobwebs everywhere, cracks and holes in the wall, and even a little graffiti from adventurous kids.

He could see the footprints of monsters on the dusty floor and just make out their shapes in the shadows. He didn't worry about them as he strode forward and up the stairs to the second floor. His supercharged magic was more than enough for the fiends.

There were two things he needed to do, both in the basement. The first was the files concerning Jenova and Sephiroth's birth and early childhood. Those had to be destroyed, along with the lab there that had later imprisoned him and Zack. Everything had to go. In fact, the whole mansion would probably be better off gone.

Then there was, of course, Vincent. The burning of the place would have to be after he'd gotten the man out.

Cloud weighed two warring ideas in his head. Destroy the files first and get Vincent after, thereby sending the secret into the grave with only Hojo and Cloud knowing? Or let Vincent see them to know what happened to his lover and Sephiroth? Would that create more problems for the man, or less?

In the end, Cloud knew what it was like to have information withheld from him. Let Vincent see it and make a decision for himself. He certainly owed the man that much.

Cloud remembered basically the process of freeing Vincent from before. Unfortunately, the combination for the lockbox that had the Basement Key had long since been forgotten. He scoured the balcony of the second floor for the notes Yuffie had first spotted before, then followed their clues to figure out the numbers.

All and all it took him only fifteen minutes to put the whole puzzle back together. Jotted on to the back of one of the notes was the combination. It sounded right to Cloud, so he loosened the strap of his sword and pushed the materia he'd been given earlier into the slot on it. He remembered the safe and the battle from before, but he knew what to expect this time, which would make it much easier. He felt infinitely more confident going in, but he also vividly recalled that brawl he and Reno had gotten into with the other cadets. It was best to keep a realistic mindset in something that could spell his death if it went bad.

Upstairs he input the combination, and with the final click of the lock, threw the door open.

* * *

"Zackary."

"Yeah, Seph?"

"There's something I wish to discuss with you."

Zack nodded, putting his drink down and excusing himself from the conversation with the Seconds. Following Sephiroth's smooth gait, they went up the stairs of the Rocket Town inn and into the General's private room.

"What's up?" Zack asked, passing through the small living area and straight into the bedroom, flopping down on the bed. He could tell it was something fairly serious by the way Sephiroth followed him, grim-faced and still wearing his armor.

"It's Strife."

"I knew this was going to come up," Zack said. "Alright," he clapped his hands, "let's get to it."

Sephiroth settled into the desk chair of the bedroom. "I merely meant to discuss the… inconsistencies of cadet Strife."

Zack waved his words away, personal feelings aside they_ did_ need to have this conversation. "You and I both know Cloud's a little funny. Between us I'm sure we can come up with something." He scooted back on the bed until he was resting against the wall and toed his boots off. He wiggled his socked toes and sighed. "Okay, so we'll start at the beginning."

Zack didn't immediately start talking. "You met Strife first," Sephiroth provided.

"Yeah. I didn't notice anything weird until I really first talked to him. I remember asking him about his sword techniques, you remember we talked about it right before I pulled him out of dinner? Yeah, he wasn't much of a talker then…" Zack drifted for a moment, obviously recalling the conversation, "I remember how neat his bed was."

Sephiroth's eyebrow rose a little, thinking of his own pressed sheets_. "_You find a neat bed to be strange?"

"Cloud's seventeen!"

Sephiroth just shook his head. "Cloud, as far as a basic psychological profile offers, is much more mature than an average seventeen-year-old. Considering he also has no father, he probably shouldered more responsibility as a child—thereby contributing to his introverted personality. This may also account for his self-control, leadership qualities, and lack of sociability."

Zack mused on that for a couple moments as Sephiroth fell silent. "Psychology all aside, Seph, he's also polite. No, polite's the wrong word… what's the word I'm looking for?"

Sephiroth didn't cock his head, but it looked like he might for a moment. "What brings this up?"

"Well, after that first chat in his bunker, I dragged him to the copy room. We saw… a Turk on the elevator. I warned him about the Turks, and then he nodded at him. Like he knew him."

Sephiroth didn't move or look particularly surprised. "Is there any way for him to have known this Turk?"

"No," Zack said immediately, "I keep an… extra eye out on them sometimes." Sephiroth nodded. He knew what Zack was talking about. "…_That_ Turk was coming back from some mission. There's no way Cloud could have met him before unless it was at the beginning of the program."

"Speaking of which," Zack added, "it's kinda weird how Cloud just suddenly came up on the radar."

"Mm."

Zack rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little pained as he thought about it. Sephiroth knew it frustrated him to no end sometimes.

"I believe," Sephiroth said abruptly, "you brought him to my office after this."

"Yeah."

"That was an… exceedingly odd encounter."

"Oh yeah," Zack said, starting to smile as he remembered it. "He'd taken what, two steps and then looked like he might bolt. He was totally on edge when I brought him in."

"I recall that meeting distinctly because it didn't end that way."

"He just…wasn't scared," Zack said wonderingly, clearly remembering the moment with as much clarity as Sephiroth, "All of a sudden."

"Told me he had other things to do, if I'm correct. Asserting himself without respect and resistance at once," Sephiroth supplied.

"Yeah, but it was different. I don't know how to put it in words but…"

Sephiroth leaned back again from where he'd moved to rest his elbow on his knee. "It showed a backbone I would not have guessed at."

"You got a psychological answer for that?" Zack said laughingly.

"Perhaps."

When Sephiroth didn't elucidate, Zack groaned. "You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

"Not yet."

"Fine, let's hurry this up then. Dinner's soon."

Sephiroth ignored the comment.

"Then I trained Cloud, and he did outstandingly. Practically already knew…the…stuff." Zack's eyes went comically wide before he narrowed them at the General. "You think he already knew it."

Sephiroth's sharp eyes met with Zack's. "At least the basics, yes, if not more."

"I figured he'd had informal training, but… he didn't tell me."

Sephiroth's tone had a harder edge to it as he spoke. "Ideally there is a good reason for that, but you must remember, he is obviously deft at concealing things. It took half a year for anyone to realize his potential."

Zack looked like he instantly wanted to defend his trust in Cloud, but with a harder look from Sephiroth, refrained. "I won't say it," he sighed, looking away, "but you know how I feel about it."

"Your loyalty is what makes you an admirable SOLDIER, Zack."

"Uh huh, I'm not going to be swayed by flattery, Seph. Not even from you."

Sephiroth squished the impulse to roll his eyes and decided to move on. "There was the materia incident where he burned a hole in a metal door,and I believe you woke me at two in the morning to discuss a particularly bad day of his_. _In fact, I believe you said something to the effect that he was acting like me."Something in Sephiroth's tone seemed to imply Zack's idiocy at that move.

Zack whistled through his teeth. "Oh yeah. That was a bad day. The materia never happened again so I figure it was a one-time thing. Emotional outburst or something 'cause he's never done it again. But I never did find out what ticked him off so much that day. Sly bastard got me talking about Aeris, and somehow he got away before I could pry the rest out."

This time the urge to roll his eyes at Zack was considerably more difficult to fight.

"I think someone died." Zack murmured softly. Talking about death had always been hard for the First.

Any lightheartedness disappeared from the conversation at that final comment. Sephiroth didn't outwardly react. "It is obvious there is a slim chance it is anyone we know."

"It messed him up though. I've never seen anyone get that way before. I mean, he was _livid._ Like it was fresh even when it was old."

Sephiroth didn't say anything.

"I remember, later on," Zack began, his voice much humbler than his usual rowdy speech, "when I showed him Galatine."

Sephiroth turned to look out the window, thinking, but he nodded as Zack spoke.

"He…looked so shocked, and…upset."

"Because of the sword?"

"No, no. I told him I might give it to him if something happened to me. He looked… horrified at the thought. Really… horrified."

Sephiroth turned back to the window after a moment, and Zack remained silent for several long seconds before speaking again. "When he found out I was being deployed that time to fight AVALANCHE, he was worried for me…"

There was a pause; Sephiroth knew they were both thinking it,but Zack still asked, "You think the person who taught him… died?"

Sephiroth stood up from the chair to pace. "Yes."

* * *

Cloud panted and stumbled into the wall, slumping down it in exhaustion. Thank the Planet for the magic ability, because he'd forgotten what a totally one-sided fight felt like from the losing side. Especially in a cramped room.

He'd managed to kill the half of Lost Number that was a physical fighter with materia, but the magic-using side of it was highly resistant. In the end he'd had to resort to locking the beast inside the room and barricading the door. The room was sealed to prevent the monster from using magic to burn down the building or whatever, but Cloud didn't hold his breath—that sealing was at least twenty years old.

Cloud remained sitting on the floor, waiting for his heart rate to slow back down. He'd barely managed to paralyze the creature long enough to get the Odin materia and the Basement Key out of the box before it began to shake off the effects. He tucked the materia into his bag now, since a summon was better to use out in the open.

He crossed the second floor into the bedroom and unlocked the secret passageway down to the basement. This was the most difficult part of this entire venture, and one Cloud had been trying and failing to mentally prepare himself for.

The gaping maw of the basement was cold and dusty, the stairs creaking and popping under his feet. When he descended to the bottom, he could just make out the faint glow at the end of the stone hallway—sickly green. Cloud's skin began to crawl and burn, but outwardly he refused to show it.

Sword out, taking each step at a time, Cloud drew towards the door on the left that led to Vincent. His eyes were drawn to the pale light in the library and attached lab, but after fumbling in the dark with the Basement Key, Cloud pulled his eyes away and slid the key into the tumbler.

The room beyond was stuffy with mold and dust, frigidly cold and rather eerie. Coffins were piled up all over the room, leaning against the wall and stacked up on one another. The center coffin drew Cloud's eyes.

The lid was quite snug, but with some leverage from another coffin against the wall, Cloud managed to shove the lid off.

It clattered to the floor, but Cloud only heard it distantly as his eyes locked with Vincent's wine-colored ones.

* * *

Zack snapped back to the conversation. "Anything else strange you can think of?" Zack began to tick things off his fingers. "We have training, Rude, that death, the office, and the neat bed."

"I went to get a Snickers bar from the vending machine near the cadet barracks and saw him there."

"Oh?" Zack sat up, losing all sense of the solemn mood, looking quite curious and maybe even a little devious. That expression never bode well for Sephiroth.

"When I surprised him he instinctively attacked me." Sephiroth didn't seem all that perturbed by it, but Zack's whole expression turned from humor to near outrage.

"He _attacked_ you?"

"Relatively. He was surprised by it and… embarrassed."

Zack sat back. "Huh."

"He recovered, but remained tense throughout the entire exchange…"

Zack seemed to sense the words that weren't coming forth. "However…" he prodded.

Sephiroth looked at him directly, "You are withholding something from me, so I will do the same."

"You're kidding, right?" Zack sounded shocked. Planet, the General could be such a kid sometimes. Zack liked to think he had something to do with it when it wasn't annoying him.

"Your first meeting with him." Sephiroth stated.

Zack winced. "Well, there are some personal things I don't think I should share without his permission…"

"Zack-" Sephiroth stated before he was cut off.

"It's not related, really."

Sephiroth looked disbelieving, but after a beat rolled his eyes. "As I said before, Fair, your loyalty is what makes you such an admirable SOLDIER."

* * *

Vincent's eyes were sharp as ever in the gloom of the basement, even glowing slightly. Cloud sat back on his heels as Vincent sat up in the coffin.

"Your name is Vincent Valentine," he began, his skin starting to prickle at the harsh glare Vincent was shooting him. Or maybe it was just the dust settling on his skin. "You were a Turk shot by Hojo and used for experimentation. You've been crossed with several demons and have locked yourself into this room and slept in that coffin to punish yourself for your failure." Cloud didn't have to explain it.

Vincent showed no confusion, and Cloud hadn't been expecting any. "It's been twenty-five years since you went to sleep in this coffin. Sephiroth, Lucrecia's son, is still alive."

At that there was a strange fleeting emotion behind Vincent's eyes but Cloud couldn't identify it before it passed.

"I'm Cloud Strife. I need your help."

* * *

Zack waved away anything else Sephiroth might have said. "If there's anyone hiding something, it's Cloud. Not much happened for awhile, but then that drug scare with Cloud's bunk-"

"And the subsequent interrogation," Sephiroth finished. This was the part he'd been getting to with this talk, because that interrogation still rankled him.

"Kunsel hit some nerves there, didn't he? He didn't like being called weak."

"Yes, particularly when you were also brought up," Sephiroth put in. He'd watched that tape so many times he could probably recite lines from it.

"I'll have to tell Cloud sometime that I took a chunk out of Kunsel for that later." Zack's mind was starting to drift as he thought about that part of the interrogation.

Sephiroth cut in. "He became totally indifferent in the end."

"Yeah," Zack said after a moment. "Kunsel must have pushed him too hard. I remember that part. It was freaky. He completely shut down after that."

Zack slumped back on the bed, watching Sephiroth pace a bit. "Planet, I've never seen Cloud like that again. In fact, I've almost never seen a _person_ do that before."

"I spoke with him afterwards."

Zack sat up sharply. "What? You didn't tell me that."

Sephiroth sighed at Zack's alarm and resisted the urge to pinch his nose to stem the oncoming headache. He'd reviewed that entire short interview over and over in his head. He couldn't remember why he'd let the boy go, what he'd been thinking when he'd leaned over him like that—a highly intimate and personal intimidation method Sephiroth had rarely employed before.

He knew why, but he hated to think he'd given in to his emotions like that.

"He said he didn't know what he was hiding," Sephiroth sighed again. "He was highly embarrassed and tense throughout the interview."

Zack frowned, his brow pulled together like he wanted to say something but couldn't. Sephiroth had a nasty feeling he and Zack were both hiding the same thing about Cloud.

* * *

The sunlight was just breaking into the trees when Aaron stirred awake. He blearily looked around the campsite, catching sight of John rousing slowly. Aaron was about to shut his eyes again when he realized he didn't see Dan or Cloud.

He sat up abruptly and took stock of the campsite, devoid of two of their members. "John, do you know where Cloud or Dan is?"

John blinked a couple of times before he seemed to realize what Aaron was saying. Looking around to, he cursed and struggled to stand up. "They had to have left. Or something happened to them."

After scouring the camp for any clues, Aaron and John began to pack up as Aaron went to wake Reno. They needed to figure out a plan for what to do with their two missing members.

* * *

"Is there anything else? I can't remember anything more." Zack was sniffing the air like a dog, the warm scent of chicken pot pie and mashed potatoes wafting up the stairs to them. "Oh wait, I think he's flown before." Sephiroth cocked his head a little bit. "He wasn't too tense on the helicopter."

"Perhaps he simply wasn't afraid."

"Okay, fine, maybe that's a little weak. But I remember the first time I got into one of those things. Scared me."

Sephiroth shook his head, but dutifully tucked the information away in his brain. "I have two more instances."

"_Two_? Sheesh, Seph, it sounds like you talk to Cloud almost as much as I do."

"Before getting on the helicopters this morning I spoke with him. I wanted to…see if he might slip something. It was clear he was hung-over and completely unprepared when I spoke to him."

"Since we're discussing this, I guess he didn't tell you anything."

"He thanked me." Sephiroth's voice sounded strange. Zack wasn't sure he'd ever heard that tone before.

The SOLDIER leaned forward again, scooting to the end of the bed to knock his heels against it. "For what?"

Sephiroth's mouth twitched up. "I don't know."

Both paused to consider that. Cloud's behavior was normally strange, but this stood out for some reason.

Eventually though, Zack's patience gave out. "What's the last one?" Zack asked, watching Sephiroth stop pacing finally and stand by the window.

"When we landed, I cornered Strife. My intention was to remind him that I am expecting an answer to all these questions." Sephiroth's eyes slid over to Zack, who looked somewhere between upset at frightening his cadet and in agreement.

"Well?" Zack leaned forward slightly.

Sephiroth directed a sharp look at Zack. "I believe we both know a point of Cloud's weakness."

Zack blinked.

"I do not want to take advantage of it. It would be unfair, not to mention in poor taste."

Zack's expression became suspicious. "What did you do to him?"

Sephiroth turned away, and this time he did pinch the bridge of his nose. "Intimidated him with size, forwardness, aggressive posture, and implied threats."

Now Zack just looked confused. "But he didn't tell you anything."

"I simply meant to show him his time was running short."

"So… what's this weakness we both mutually know that I don't think I actually know?"

Sephiroth released his nose and exhaled. "Basic psychological profile: High levels of responsibility and pressure all his life forcing him to grow up quickly. Likely bullied as a child contributing to a need to prove himself along with the emotionless façade to protect a fragile self-esteem. Major loss early in life_—_most likely never fully accepted_—_led to general mistrust of others and/or outright rejection of them causing issues with sociability." He rattled off the list of attributes to describe Cloud like he was reading it from a textbook.

Zack honestly didn't know what to think except Sephiroth and Cloud probably shared a lot more than a few meaningless conversations. He wasn't sure what to think of that, since this was _Sephiroth_ and the man didn't _converse_ normally at all.

Sephiroth continued without stopping. "What attracts people like this is power—because they've lacked it in childhood or adolescence—acknowledgement from someone held in respect—a means of boosting they're lacking self-esteem—and either someone _to _control or to be controlled _by_—either because they fear losing control, or prefer trusted others to be in control, presumably because they feel unworthy, inept, or afraid when shouldering large responsibility."

Zack was slack-jawed, staring at Sephiroth who looked completely calm.

"He is attracted to me."

Zack snorted suddenly, waving away all shock, the General's clearly defined psychological profile, and Cloud's aforementioned 'weakness'. "Anyone with eyes is attracted to you, Seph. I am, practically everyone in SOLDIER is. Sure, some of it is because people want to play with fire but that's inevitable. It only bothers you now because it's _Cloud_."

Sephiroth looked like he was about to interject with more book rhetoric but Zack stood up quickly.

"No. I think Cloud doesn't like you for those reasons; they're superficial. So you're powerful, respected, blah blah blah. You know, the first time we really talked I could tell there was more to it than that. He remembered you're _human_."

Sephiroth didn't move, but Zack just plowed on, this time pointing and waving his finger at him. "You're denying it because you don't know how to deal with it. You find him intriguing, and you can't lie and say it doesn't turn you on a bit. I know how puzzles are with you, Seph. Cloud's defying any attempt to make sense and you like it. Nothing gives you a challenge now, so when you find one you go berserk. There's psychology for you."

Zack was just winding up when Sephiroth slowly turned to the window, not in dismissal, but resignation. Sighing, Zack came up behind his friend and kept talking, his voice quieter now.

"Come on, Seph. There's nothing wrong with it." Zack didn't move any closer or touch him, just remained a steady presence there. Sephiroth would not be swayed, but he'd come around in his own time.

"Hey, he asked me that first day if you were sleeping enough," Zack suddenly added, remembering that detail. "Everyone knows what an insomniac you are sometimes, and he bothered to ask. It's gotta mean something. If anything, that Cloud's more than some groupie, and you already knew that."

"It's inappropriate," Sephiroth tried after a prolonged moment of silence. It was a token argument and they both knew it.

"That's weak. He'll be a SOLDIER in hours and age won't matter."

Zack didn't get to continue proving his point when the clumping of boots on the stairs began and the sounds of a Second approaching.

"This isn't over," Zack said, a warning in his voice. He knew this chance wasn't going to come around for a while again.

Sephiroth turned to Zack as there was a polite knock on the door and a call for dinner.

"That's what I told Cloud."


	27. Chapter 27

Writer's Note: I want to thank everyone for being so patient as this chapter was written. I also want to make a shout out to all the people who reviewed to push me to write, and all the people who messaged/emailed me to tell me how much they love the story. It means the world to me, really. A thanks to my beta, Birddi, of course, for sticking with me and working so quickly to put the chapter out soon as I had it written.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

**Note:** Thank you aoyagi for pointing out that there were scenes in this chapter that overlapped with last chapter's. Which shows that two months is way too long to wait between chapters, because clearly I forget what I wrote. I've corrected this mistake.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty-Seven (10-14-09)**

Edited: 05-25-10

Cloud stood up and backed away as Vincent rose from the coffin. The man didn't look the least bit surprised or perturbed that someone had disturbed his "sleep", but Cloud knew Vincent was discerning as ever, and the ex-Turk didn't trust him for second.

Still, Vincent looked the same as he would in a couple years when Cloud had freed him last time. He still sported the red cape, the pointed gold boots and matching claw. And like all the other times, Vincent'shair was a lank, black mass behind his sharp features. Amazingly, other than a little dirty looking and the hair a little unwashed, he was perfectly fine after twenty-five years in a coffin.

Cloud brushed dust off his knees and shoulders. "I'll explain more, but first I have to do something," was all he said as he walked out.

* * *

"Where's Cloud and Dan?" Reno was barely awake enough to comprehend Aaron's question.

"Piss?"

He was rubbing his eyes, so he didn't see the scathing look Aaron sent him. "With all their bags?" Reno ignored the comment, reaching to grab his canteen when he noticed the slightly smudged writing on his hand. He recognized the curt words and the handwriting.

Well, damn. Cloud could be a real bastard sometimes.

He closed his fist, deciding this was going to be added to that growing list of things to ask Cloud the next time he cornered the blond.

"They must have left," John put in from where he was standing on the other side of the campsite. He was wandering around the area looking for tracks, scuff marks, anything really.

"Something had to have taken them. They wouldn't just leave." Aaron was tugging on his hair in distress. "Do you think they're picking us off?"

"Cloud probably went off to be a hero," Reno said a bit roughly. He still wasn't quite fully there. "And Dan probably followed him."

John frowned at him as he shouldered his pack. "We can't stick around too long. Let's look around the forest a bit more for tracks, but I doubt we'll find much." He nodded to a cold pan of food. "We left some for you, Reno."

"Cold oatmeal, my favorite," he muttered under his breath.

Five minutes later, Reno had scarfed his food down and packed everything up. The forest held no clues though as to Cloud or Dan's whereabouts, but they agreed they'd left willingly. They couldn't agree on whether they'd been lured away or taken off on their own, though. Reno clenched one fist as they took to the trail again.

"Do we know where to go now?" Aaron asked.

"Path splits somewhere ahead of us," Reno answered. "We take the right fork."

"How do you know?" John asked.

Reno opened his hand and held it in front of his body so they couldn't see. "Cloud's a bastard, that's how."

* * *

With a little help from a sledgehammer, Cloud had destroyed well over twenty empty mako-tanks, and there were still two more rooms filled with them.

Vincent had followed him to the library without a word, and Cloud took that as a good sign. Previously Vincent hadn't even stood up from the coffin until mention of Sephiroth.

Even though there were self-destruct sequences built into all Hojo's machines—the man's paranoia was unwavering—Cloud preferred to do this by hand. It might have been a vindication of sorts, a way to get back at all of Hojo's maniacal work in both the future and the past, and present to be exact; but Cloud needed to make sure the deed was done, if only for his own sake.

He just barely heard the wisp of cloth and the crunch of glass under metal boot as he stepped towards the next mako pod. Cloud heard the unasked question.

"The Planet. A year from now Hojo locked me here." He swung, angry as ever. The pod exploded in a shower of glass. Cloud had made sure to drain them before his rampage, unwilling to get any mako on him if he could.

"For five years." He swung again, this time at the pipes and computer that operated the pod. This one burst into a volley of sparks and electrical wires.

"I was an experiment."

The next pod broke under the swing, Cloud grunting at his connected.

"_Reunion_."

Vincent paused before he spoke. "Jenova Reunion Theory."

"Exactly." The mechanics behind the machine groaned and the pipes writhed like they were alive as all the pressure was suddenly released. Cloud moved on without looking back.

"The Reunion happened. And I killed Sephiroth, who was a puppet of Jenova. The other experiments were his clones—attempts to make more of the 'perfect SOLDIER'."

The motherboard of the room was smashed into two large pieces and a hundred small ones as Cloud swung down in one decisive hit.

"They were considered failures. But it wasn't over." He stopped then, breathing hard and leaning on the sledgehammer, but didn't turn around. "The Planet had destroyed Meteor and we—AVALANCHE—had taken out Jenova. But the Planet grew ill. Geostigma they called it. And Sephiroth came back."

Cloud turned now and began to walk back, towards the doorway where Vincent stood. He dragged the sledgehammer behind him, and it scrapped the floor in an eerie, high-pitched whine.

"The Planet was dying. Even when we destroyed him a second time—another Reunion—it was too much. And the Planet did the only thing it could."

Cloud shrugged. He'd gotten over the initial anger and betrayal. He could almost understand, but he hadn't forgiven it yet.

"…And you're here." Vincent finished smoothly, as though time-travel wasn't a perfectly absurd concept.

Cloud couldn't help the small well of relief inside him. He had felt that if there were anyone who would take him at face value, it would be the ex-Turk, and he was glad he was right.

"Yes."

* * *

Reno, John, and Aaron had been walking since dawn, stopped for a quick lunch break, and continued on until they heard voices up ahead of them. The chance to ambush and take out another team was too good to be true, so they crept off the path and into the forest around them.

The team they came upon was Maxwell's, as irony would have it, except the boy himself was missing and his teammates were standing around like a pack of lost sheep.

"What's going on?" John hissed from where he was crouched next to Reno in the underbrush. They were watching the team from a stone's throw away.

"Where's Maxwell?" Reno responded.

"Who's there?" Shouted one kid suddenly, spinning to face the opposite side of the forest where Aaron was hidden. "Max? That you?"

Everyone turned then, and Reno let out an annoyed hiss as Aaron stepped out from the trees with both arms up. "It's me, Aaron. I overheard you guys lost someone."

Reno and John crept forward as the boys pointed their knives and one handgun at Aaron, eyeing him suspiciously no doubt.

"I bet you had something to do with that!" One yelled, and the others started to walk forward menacingly.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong," Aaron said cheerfully. "See, two of our members, Cloud and Dan, both disappeared last night. I figured something similar must have happened to you."

Reno audibly groaned as he stepped on to the path with John, Maxwell's team whirling around to confront them too.

"You lost two people?"

"Disappeared in the night. No trace." Aaron supplied helpfully.

"It's true," Reno put in. "We thought they'd left on their own, but maybe something drew them out if you guys lost Maxwell too. That can't be coincidence."

The guy with the handgun eyed Reno and John. "You think it's deliberate?"

John nodded, trying not to look threatening. The guy with the gun was looking a little edgy with that trigger-finger. "Three people go missing in twenty-four hours? Especially the leaders of two groups?"

After a long moment, the cadet slowly lowered the gun. The others followed suit after a moment of hesitation. Aaron looked perfectly unaffected, but John could see Reno's shoulders relax just a bit.

"Max was looking for some food in the bushes," the boy indicated with a thumb over his shoulder. "Went into the forest and didn't come back. We looked for him, but we found his gun," the one he was holding his held up sideways in a passive manner. "Don't know what happened."

"Woke up this morning and Cloud and Dan's stuff was all gone. Figured they'd been lured off by something." Reno rubbed the ink on his hand off on his shirt, looking deliberately nonchalant about the whole thing. "If they're picking people off—especially the good ones—then we'd be better off in numbers."

John blinked in mild surprised that _Reno_ would be the one to offer a temporary truce. He'd been expecting him or Aaron would be the ones to bring it up.

The guy with the gun was probably thinking the same thing. "Sure I wanna believe you?"

Reno shrugged, "Sure. After all, I know which fork up there goes to Rocket Town and which'll leave you with your ass out in the cold."

"You can search around the forest if you want, we're not lying," Aaron suddenly said. "Dan and Cloud are both gone. We've been by ourselves since dawn. If you don't want to lose more people, I'd recommend sticking together. Plus, we're in the deepest parts of the woods. Less people means more animals."

From Aaron's voice and manner made it seem as though he wasn't the least bit perturbed by anything he was implying, but one of Maxwell's team shuddered slightly. The newleader looked resigned. "We had a run-in with a wolf last night. Max barely got a bullet into the thing's shoulder before it took a chunk out of a tree. Ripped it near in half. Ain't no joke."

John nodded. "Cloud warned us the Nibel wolves are dangerous."

Reno rolled his eyes and tucked his hands in his pockets. "We gonna move or what people? If Maxwell got nabbed right here, someone might be hanging around."

* * *

When Cloud returned to the library finally, Vincent was seated at Hojo's desk with numerous papers spread out before him. None of them were about himself; unsurprisingly, all were about Sephiroth.

"He never mutated." Vincent didn't really ask questions, Cloud had learned after years of travel and short conversations with him.

The blond sat down in an overturned chair, though he didn't feel tired. Anxious. Anticipatory maybe_. _"No. The only negative side-affect of having the Jenova cells was a general mental deterioration. All the numbered experiments were mindless drones for the most part. Sephiroth didn't even show signs of it until he made contact with Jenova, and even then he became more violent, not helpless."

Vincent put the paper down. "You're going to burn it," he said in his usual monotone.

"Yes."

There was a pause as Vincent seemed to consider saying something else, but then stood up in one swift move and passed Cloud by almost as quickly.

Cloud sat in the chair a moment longer, reflecting only briefly on what he had to do.

Then he too left the library, and standing in the doorway took out the Fire materia. He sent a pulse of magic to it, one of the most powerful ones he'd done yet, and watched with steady eyes as the flames licked up all of Hojo's work.

* * *

"Maybe it's just like with the drug bust. Picking us off one at a time to make us scared. Probably moved Cloud and Dan off somewhere else on their own to freak 'em out." Reno was just thinking aloud, throwing out every possibility he could think of.

"I heard about that drug bust," John put in. They were walking uphill along the path, surrounded by trees. It was a fairly boring journey, if a little tiring. The rest of the group followed behind, the one with the handgun at rearguard. "The official report was bullshit, but from what I've heard, there were some minor budget cuts to the science department. Some of the scientists apparently leaked mako-laced drugs into the slums for extra cash."

Reno's mouth dropped open_._ "So it was bad luck some cadets had it?"

"Yup."

"Huh."

* * *

Vincent and Cloud left the Shinra mansion, recovering a simple revolver for Vincent to use as they did. Cloud started another small fire in the piano room, and when the flames were hot enough, the magical shield that kept the Lost Number from burning the rest of the house broke. It took mere moments for whatever was left of the mansion to rise up in flames.

They trekked up the mountainside together. Cloud knew the path well, and other than running into a handful of monsters—even Vincent's rusty skills were far above the level of these beasts—it was a smooth trip to the bridge.

It was during this trip that Cloud filled Vincent in on the details.

He told him about AVALANCHE, about his mixed memories and chasing Sephiroth across the world, about Meteor and the Planet, and then the triplets destroying the fallen General again. Through it all Vincent asked no questions and offered no commentary.

It was cathartic for Cloud, whose voice was flatly monotone for most of it, but occasionally would grow gruff at the mention of Aeris' death and the fights with Sephiroth.

The ex-Turk hadn't doubted Cloud's honesty for long. Though initially more than a little shocking to find a teenager opening his coffin, there has been little room for doubt following that. It was only confirmed by Cloud's mastery of materia, his obvious knowledge on highly classified information, and the story.

That skeleton of belief was only filled in more as Vincent had the opportunity to watch Cloud in action. He moved with a fluidity, confidence, and strength that Vincent saw very rarely and only in the most seasoned of fighters. It would be impossible for Cloud to be a mere cadet and fight like that, not to mention his frightening maturity—even resignation—that only those who had seen war carried.

Also, _Chaos_ knew it was the truth.

The beast was run by its instincts; it didn't have doubts, coherent complicating thoughts or questions. It followed pure primordial instinct, which made it so repulsive to an analytical mind like Vincent's, but also one that, occasionally, knew something he didn't.

Chaos,Vincent had long ago hypothesized, was tied to the Planet through a much closer connection than humans. Even with the mako in his system, Vincent could not feel the Planet as a humming string through his being the way Chaos interpreted it.

And Chaos knew instinctively that Cloud was connected to the Planet. It was restless in Vincent's mind, bothrepelled and drawn to Cloud, feeling the Planet _alive_ in the SOLDIER cadet. It would be difficult to render the feeling in words, but Vincent knew inherently through Chaos that Cloud was not an ordinary man.

Vincent had little doubt the memories were true enough. Whether Cloud physically came back in time, or whether the memories of a possibly future were passed to him and he believed he had lived it, it didn't matter.

Vincent wanted to atone, and Cloud was not only offering him a way to do this—to save Lucrecia's son from a potentially terrible death—but also to exact revenge upon the man who had started this all: Hojo.

* * *

Reno seemed convinced there would be no more abductions, although John wasn't completely sold by his performance. They'd gotten Cloud and Maxwell, the leaders, and probably Dan inadvertently, so it was possible it was over. Reno had made sure that everyone thought the important people were already gone and they were safe. John could speculate on some type of endgame Reno was plotting but actually the reason was simple: Reno wasn't going to let any guy watch him take shit.

The whole group was now seven people. Maxwell's team had gotten lucky on the weapon draw. There had only been two handguns and Maxwell had gotten one. The fact that it was left unfired on the ground told him team the cadet was probably dead, but he didn't say it out loud. Aaron had shot Reno a warning look when he'd started to broach the subject, and a swift elbow to the gut was enough to silence him.

"Hey," John said suddenly. "Turn around."

Reno and the others did slowly. They were on the top of a ridge of some kind, but with all the trees it was difficult to see anything. Still, Reno looked up to where John was pointing. It was a column of smoke twirling lazily into the sky.

"Looks like a fire," one of the guys pointed out.

"No shit," Reno said reflexively.

"It's not in Rocket Town's direction," Aaron pointed out. "It must be Nibelheim."

"You wanna bet Cloud's behind that?"

John shook his head and started walking again. "Is everything with Cloud a conspiracy to you?"

Reno shrugged; Maxwell's old teammates weren't bothering to pay attention to them, already walking again. "Pretty much."

* * *

The smoke from the burning mansion was clearly visible from the steps of the mako reactor. It had taken almost an hour to make it all the way up the snowy mountainside and across the bridge that had nearly tumbled Tifa to her death. Vincent's cheeks weren't even pink from the cold or the exertion, and Cloud envied the mako the man had for a moment before he checked himself.

The reactor was exactly the same as he remembered. Rusted and frozen on the outside turning it an ugly shade of red, with sheer metal exterior, the twisted pipes and mechanisms high above them, and the same "no trespassing" and "hazardous materials inside" signs postedevery few feet. It was at least three to four stories tall, a harsh, modern contraption in the middle of the wilderness.

Cloud willed away any memories of this place, steeling himself for the grisly images he would undoubtedly be bombarded with. This was not, by any means, a place he would willingly come to again.

Vincent stood silently behind him as he stepped into the main room.

It was exactly the same as he remembered. Two-dozen mako pods of considerably size were laid out on various raised levels. Cloud already knew what was inside them, and he didn't waste time looking at them. The same stairs Zack had been thrown down—Cloud's shoulders stiffened as he focused on a nail on the floor until it was all he could see—led up to a metal door with an archway engraved with the word "Jenova".

* * *

It was another two hours of walking before Rocket Town came into view. The giant rocket that gave the town its name had been visible for a while, but finally the rest of it was in sight. It was still a ways off, down the side of the mountain on a road that twisted and writhed all the way to the base. John estimated it would take four hours to walk down that, so they decided a break was in order before the started the descent.

"I'm gonna take a shit."

Aaron nodded, waving his hand at Reno as he fished in his bag for his canteen. "Sure, sure."

Reno headed off into the forest, keeping one ear on the conversation as the rest of the group sat down, the other for any signs of life out here. Other than a handful of monsters—and a nasty flying one that proved to be almost agile enough to dodge bullets, the damn thing—they hadn't had any problems.

Glancing back, he could just make out the color of one of the guys jackets—red, what kind of idiot where's _red_ in a forest?—before dropping his pants by a nearby tree.

He was just zipping himself up when the hair on his neck began to prickle. Reno kept his posture deliberately relaxed, straining to hear breathing, maybe a low growl, something to cue him in to what was stalking him.

He couldn't make out where it was, the forest was too dense and there were too many dark spots to hide in, but Reno was willing to bet money it was above him or directly behind him in his blind spot. That's where he'd be, if he were the predator.

Casually as possible, he belted his pants and was about to stick his hands in his pocket like he was just walking down the street when it struck.

Reno was barely able to turn before the handkerchief was over his mouth and nose and the other arm was around his neck to hold his head back. He held his breath, able to barely taste the chloroform, and brought his hands up to pry the person's fingers free.

They were tough whoever they were, and a knee to the kidney was enough to cause Reno to involuntarily exhale, and when he inhaled reflexively he got a mouth and nose full of chemicals.

He was out cold in seconds.

* * *

Vincent didn't ask what was inside the mako pods. A bare glance was enough to know that there was a lot of mako in there and something elsethat was distinctly humanoid. There was little doubt it had once been one.

The door at the top of the stairs was card and number coded. Cloud knew that most likely only Hojo had the required information. He had no qualms about blasting the door open if he had to.

Cloud was reaching for his materia when Vincent stopped him.

Without a word, the red-caped man glided forward, amazingly quiet on the metal floor despite the boots, and over to the keypad. With the tip of a blade hidden in his pants, he sliced four clean cuts around the little machine and pried it from the wall. It came away with a dozen wires.

Vincent cut one and the door slid open soundlessly.

Cloud was too used to the ex-Turk's skills to be impressed but nodded in thanksas he headed into the next room.

This one was also an unfortunately familiar room. It had a long gangplank that crossed the room over a huge vat of pure mako. The glowing liquid simmered down below and threw the whole room into a sinister green glow. Cloud pointedly did not look down as he crossed the gangplank to the room beyond where Jenova lay. He could barely hear Vincent's hollow footsteps behind him.

Cloud deliberately blanked his mind as he entered the room. He refused to acknowledge any thoughts, his whole being centered on the image of the Jenova that Sephiroth ripped from the wall, the one he called "Mother", the one that drove him over the brink and brought him back to life twice. The one he was going to cut up into pieces and burn.

The center platform was circular, with six tubs of radioactive liquid, marked with the Shinra logo next to a poison insignia. A thick, bright red tube ran from the center platform up to the stand where Jenova was, her metal shell was located.

He didn't hear any whispers. There was not a single echo of the terrifyingly seductive voice Cloud distinctly remembered. No oil-coated words to charm him. His body was finally clean of her influence; Cloud was able to draw a breath.

He didn't look up to where she was. He could sense, somewhere in the back of his mind, that he was probably mirroring Sephiroth's actions that fateful night, head cocked as he heard the voice—the one thankfully missing now—and then slowly moving up the pipe to stand in front of the Calamity hidden by the name Jenova.

His eyes rested on an empty tube.

Jenova was gone.

* * *

Reno was missing.

John stood up from the ground, brushing dirt off his knees. Reno's tracks were clear all the way to the smell of feces in the clearing, but after that nothing. It was like he'd been teleported from the spot. John wondered if maybe something flying had gotten him, but the tree cover was too thick for that.

"You don't think Reno'd do it as a practical joke, would you?"

Aaron paused as he came through the trees towards him. "I don't think so. It shook him up that Cloud vanished like that. Plus, he'd knock some snow or leaves to the ground if climbed up, and I don't see anything."

"Yeah," John sighed. "I guess we keep moving then. Hopefully he'll make it in on his own."

Aaron didn't look too pleased, but there really weren't any other options. "This test is a lot harder than I thought it'd be."

"It wasn't this bad when I took it last time."

"Huh."

* * *

The metal canister that had once held most of her upper body was empty. There wasn't even liquid inside it. It was totally empty.

Cloud stared.

He felt numb. How could Jenova not be here? Hojo hadn't moved her to Midgar until _after_ Sephiroth's fall, and once the war was over and Sephiroth became General he permanently moved her here since all direct research with her had ended…

A cold hand touched his shoulder, then slipped away.

"Jenova was moved recently."

Vincent's rough voice was enough to draw Cloud's attention away from the empty tube and to more important matters.

Jenova wasn't here.

"Hojo must have taken her." Cloud knew it even before the words left his mouth. There wasn't a scratch on the building. The tube had been properly opened, cleaned, and locked. The only person in the world who would go through that procedure was Hojo. Cloud and Vincent were the only outsiders who'd been here. And no one else but high Shinra executives knew where Jenova was, if that, and no one but Hojo had any interest in her.

But _why_?

Vincent remained silent as he walked back into the previous room.

There was no way Hojo could have gotten wind of Cloud's plans. He'd told _nobody_, and no one knew he knew anything about the Calamity until he'd told Vincent. Reno was certainly not at that point, not even close.

There couldn't have been surveillance in the Nibelheim mansion—Vincent would have known about it. And no one was monitoring the building anyway, it hadn't been used since Sephiroth's relocation to Midgar as a young child.

Fueled by rage he hadn't felt in years, Cloud took up his sword —a poor replacement for his own—and sliced a clean line through the empty cell of metal and tempered glass.

* * *

The remaining cadet members were met by a SOLDIER waiting for them at the entrance to the town. He asked for the identification numbers, and then led them into town. They passed several empty fields, a pile of engine bits and small planes resting on a patch of land, and then into the town proper.

The giant rocket was huge, set a couple miles from the town, and clearly visible even at night. Rocket Town itself was a boisterous place with a small-town vibe that made the place quite comfortable. The SOLDIER led the cadets through the town square and into the main hotel without stopping. There he left them to be debriefed.

They were in the lobby. The whole hotel had been taken over by SOLDIER for the exams, so there were scattered maps, papers, and some personal stuff all around the room. Several soldiers were standing around on the far side by the fire, but the cadets had been left by the large windows that overlooked the town square.

The chairs were quite comfortable. The teams relaxed into them a bit, but John felt nervous. He wasn't sure if they'd be penalized for losing three members, and he was worried about what had happened to them. Especially Reno, because the redhead had no doubt been taken against his will—John was sure of it.

A SOLDIER entered and moved over to them, introducing himself as a Third Class before sitting down across the table. He pulled out a notepad and pen, explainingquickly how the debriefing process worked.

Maxwell's team went first, their story was fairly uneventful. Other than the run-in with the wolf and Maxwell's disappearance, there was little else to be said.

Then it was the remaining member's of Cloud's. Aaron spoke up quickly. John let him, staying quiet, and at first it was as John remembered it, but then Aaron changed everything.

"It wastwo nights ago when we decided to ambush a team ahead of us. Cloud and Dan took one side of the road, John, Reno and I the other. The three of us were waiting for Cloud's cue, but it never came."

There was no way the SOLDIER could miss the other team's disbelief as they heard this totally new story. It might have been funny if John hadn't been doing his best not to mimic their expressions.

"See, we waited awhile, but still heard nothing, so we decided to regroup back at the starting point, but Dan and Cloud never showed up. We tried looking for them too, but we couldn't find anything. When we traced their steps all the way back to where the other team was camped out, we found that four of _their_ members were missing too."

The SOLDIER's face was perfectly blank. So, John nodded along, pretending he knew the story and had been a participant. Still, Aaron was doing pretty well for spinning a tale out of nothing. John still didn't know why he was doing it though.

"So we took out the last two, and asked what had happened. Turns out Cloud and Dan had jumped out and taken out three, and Cloud went after one that ran into the forest, and Dan had followed after him. We couldn't find them though, and so we continued on until we met up with them," Aaron indicated the other team.

One of the other members interjected finally. "That's not what you told us!"

John was about to respond (even though he wasn't sure what he could respond with) when the Lieutenant General passed through the room with a steaming cup in his hand. He flopped down onto the nearest chair. "Pretend I'm not here," he said, smiling over his cup.

John glanced over, feeling slightly intimidated as the friendly-looking man settled into his chair like he was about to listen to a story and not a debriefing.

John coughed slightly, feeling a pit in his stomach as he lied through his teeth, "After we heard what happened to Maxwell, we, um, figured it'd be safer to work in a large group, so we… fixed the story." He knew he wasn't nearly as smooth,and he used that term loosely, as Aaron, but hopefully it could pass as embarrassment for blatantly lying to the other guys. His eyes slid over to the First Class SOLDIER, but the man didn't seem to be paying them any attention at all. He was balancing his cup on two fingers like there was nothing better to do.

The SOLDIER debriefing them scribbled some more notes before looking back up at them calmly. "You are still missing a third team member you said. Cadet…" he pulled out several pieces of paper and flipped through them, "…Reno."

John paused awkwardly, floundering for what to say, when Aaron swooped in again. "When we up at the top of the mountain, Reno found some tracks into the forest. Human tracks. He wanted to go after them, but John and I thought it would be better to just finish. So Reno went on his own, even though we tried to convince him otherwise."

John nodded along as appropriate, wondering where Aaron came up with these things.

The SOLDIER's eyes just barely flicked over to the Lieutenant General, but the First Class SOLDIER didn't look like he was paying them any attention.

"I expect," Aaron continued after a moment, "that Reno will come back in with Cloud and Dan, maybe not together, but they'll all make it."

Aaron's confidence wasn't paper-thin; he really thought they'd come back. And that did show. He was just glad John was going along with it, the other team members were too busy looking angry that they'd been "lied" to twice to say anything, and that the SOLDIER looked like he might be buying it.

He'd been thinking about what to say since Reno disappeared. It couldn't be good to lose three members, not to mention that Cloud had essentially abandoned them the first night out. Cloud deserved more than that to be written on a report. Plus, Aaron thought Reno might have joined up with Cloud and Dan in the forest there, but he wasn't sure why. Still, he would cover for them until they got back.

He did it for a simple reason: he trusted Cloud. He was honorable, honest, and responsible, the kind of person Aaron had always admired. He respected him in the way that Aaron wished he could respect his father, as almost a hero, but something so much more personal than that too. And he'd show that to the blond by covering for him until he got here.

Aaron hid a knowing smile from the SOLDIER. He rather liked flouting authority, and it was hard to do that in the military, so it was rather nice to spice it up. John looked a bit flabbergasted by it all, but he was sure Reno would understand.

The SOLDIER debriefing them folded down his legal pad, reshuffled the papers, and seemed mildly bothered by his superior's presence or lack of attention the whole time. "We'll have your results back to you when we return to Midgar. There are rooms available on the second floor for you."

They all nodded and watched as the man nodded to the Lieutenant General and headed up the stairs.

John and the others sat there awkwardly, unsure if they could take their leave or not. Aaron seemed unmoved though, and he turned to the First with a boisterousness that John had come to expect from his teammate."Aaron Tamboia."

"Zack Fair," the SOLDIER said, putting his cup back on the table and smiling as they shook hands. "I heard Cloud went missing on your guy's watch?"

Maxwell's team had wide eyes as they heard Lieutenant General Fair refer to Cloud by first name. John had learned about Cloud's private training from Reno, so he wasn't surprised the Lieutenant General had sat in. Apparently Aaron knew as well, as he didn't show any surprise.

"Yeah, but I'm sure he's fine. He probably just had to take the long way down, that guy never takes the easy way out," Aaron said easily, waving away any concern. "I should get some proper rest. It was an honor to meet you, sir." With a casual waveAaron left.

John and the others waited uncomfortably for a couple seconds before the First Class SOLDIER told them they should really take advantage of the nice beds while they still had them. Thankful for the excuse, they left.

John had just exited the room but paused when he heard Lieutenant General Fair speak up again. "Seems he vanished. I'm a little suspicious. Think the Turks did something?"

"No," It was the General's voice; John froze. "He's of no interest to them." The conversation continued in low tones John couldn't make out, and he didn't think twice before taking a conscious step back from the doorway.

He went up to the second floor after a moment to unfreeze his legs, wonderingvaguely if Reno was right and how much more to Cloud there was.

* * *

Cloud could tell Vincent did not agree with his decision to destroy the reactor.

The blond knew it was risky: Shinra would notice, for one. The undue attention it would bring would also tell Hojo that he was lucky he'd taken Jenova when he did. And that'd make the paranoid scientist even more dangerous.

But Cloud didn't really care as he watched the pipes he'd shattered spew acid that ate away at the side of the building and dribbled mako all over the hungry earth. He couldn't bring himself to feel anything but anger.

This whole thing could have been over. He could have stopped worrying as much; it would have taken care of half the problem.

But no. Not for him.

Aeris had said he'd have to be a hero someway. Apparently it just had to be in a way that couldn't be easy. Cloud clenched and unclenched his fists; frustrated was too weak a word to describe his current mood. Furious, seething, raving, enraged, those were better.

"I know," he bit off suddenly, an answer to Vincent's unsaid words. The man would never have said what he thought of Cloud's behavior, but the blond felt some need to explain himself. "This place-"

"-Is the same at the Shinra Mansion," Vincent said. And that was all that needed to be said.

He was still angry. He still wanted to rip something apart, grind every last piece of the reactor into dust, and murder Hojo a dozen times over.

Instead he had to settle for his steaming blood cooling in the frosty Nibelheim air as he watched as the tubes of mako began to explode inside, the shrill pops of the shattering glass like fireworks. Part of the ceiling began to groan under the weight of the tubes he'd cut in his frenzy.

"Yeah, it is."

* * *

"Thanks for, uh, taking out that, um…thing." Dan swallowed audibly.

"It was nothing."

He hopped over a log stumbling as he landed. His companion had no such issue.

Dan squinted into the dark of the forest, just barely able to make out the shape of the man. His eyes glowed strangely, but he was otherwise not altogether frightening in appearance. Not overly tall, not particularly broad-shouldered, and startlingly polite.

At first Dan had though those bright eyes was a monster, but when the stranger had flicked his wrist and split a beast creeping up on Dan in two, the cadet was incredibly relieved to be saved.

He had followed the man, because Dan had absolutely no idea where he was going. It was quiet in the woods, almost too quiet, and was becoming a bit too much for him to deal with. He didn't think he'd ever been that alone before.

"My name is Dan," he offered after a moment of silence, trying to smile as nicely as he could.

The stranger smiled back as his eyes flickered from red to blue, back to red again.

"Genesis."


	28. Chapter 28

Writer's Note: I'm back! My study abroad is over, and I'm ready to knuckle down and write. Prior to this I had been suffering from a general disinterest in FFVII fandom (Blasphemy! You cry.), but I have begun to reply the game. Cloud has just told his version of the events at Nibelheim, and it actually saddens me to hear what he thinks happens when we all know the truth.

On another note, my beta is actually abroad (the day I flew back was the day she flew off, go figure) and has a very limited internet connection. This means slowness in getting chapters betaed. I am also only familiar with Crisis Core; I've never actually played it. My interpretation of Genesis, therefore, is subject to extra scrutiny. Let me know what you think, I'm curious.

I have also updated all the previous chapters, doing some editing, fixing some inconsistency issues, etc. You may want to check that out.

_Blatant Self-Advertising: _I have posted the first chapter of my LotR story, Home with the Fairies. If you like that fandom I'd love to get some feedback. You can find the story in my profile.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Twenty-Eight (06-13-10)**

Reno came to in almost complete darkness and silence.

It was more than a little disconcerting after having lived in a bunker full of other guys for months. Since he didn't have that cotton-ball feel in his mouth, he didn't think it was the aftermath of a wild night, not to mention the bed was awfully hard.

He could barely remember how he'd gotten here. His head was throbbing painfully, and all his memories were rather fuzzy. Nibel forest. Lost Cloud. Maxwell's team? No, that couldn't be right…

Reno's thoughts turned a full circle.

After several shuffling attempts at getting up from the floor, and waiting for the blood to circulate through him, Reno was able to stand and take a look around.

The room looked like a jail cell—a fancy, well made one. It was built completely of cinder blocks, with one lone florescent light tube under security glass in the cement ceiling. There was a grate in one corner to piss in, and a solid steel door that was probably at least a foot thick. No windows, but that was expected. There also wasn't a chair.

Reno got up to examine the room anyways. He started with the door. There was no handle, no keyhole. There wasn't even hinges, so it would be pretty stupid to try and get out that way. The light might be useful, breaking the glass and getting out that way, but Reno was pretty sure that whoever built this wouldn't leave any way out to chance. Besides, if whoever did this was watching him, showing rebellion early could be a problem for later. Plus, it would be all too easy to install an electrocution feature with the light.

He wasn't desperate yet, but he wandered over to the grate anyhow. It was new and without any rust that could make it vulnerable. He nudged it with his foot anyways. It didn't move.

So whoever orchestrated this little happening had money, which meant jack really, but the possible suspects behind the Reno-napping all meant the same thing: Reno was screwed.

* * *

"Cloud."

The blond woke immediately. Cloud rarely remembered dreams that weren't nightmares, but tonight, under Nibelheim's heavy tree-cover, he had an especially horrible one, having dreamt of his last fight with Sephiroth.

Even now he could hear the creak of the architectural skeleton of Shinra Headquarters falling all around Sephiroth and him, as energy sparked and warped within the space of their blades striking. But worse was the memory, undistorted even in his dreams, of the deadness in Sephiroth's eyes.

Cloud had watched those vicious green eyes turn hazy, and in their reflection watched as he killed his hero-turned-enemy once more.

He'd never forget the emotions that flashed through him when Kadja-as-Sephiroth made that last declaration, even as the other fell to earth—just a puppet, like all the others.

"It is time," Vincent said.

The ex-Turk had already put the fire out and scattered the ashes. Breakfast was rations, and they ate as they walked.

It was a cold, crisp Nibelheim morning. The sky, barely visible through the thick tree-cover, was a cold, solid blue. Their breath was visible in the morning air. Cloud and Vincent were both silent as they marched, a familiar situation to Cloud. Vincent had always adjusted his stride to accommodate Cloud's own.

The two of them were moving in the general direction of Rocket Town. Cloud needed to report in, and Vincent needed to catch up after missing twenty-five years. It was almost unspoken that they would split up now and meet later in the city.

Even located deep inside the forest, as they were, the paths would probably still have cadets on them, so it was easier to move unnoticed in the denser woods. Both moved quietly over dead leaves and pinecones, aware that even though together they could probably take anything in this part of the mountain, discretion was always better. Cloud's mind was only absently paying attention to where they were going. He could only think about what he would say to excuse his absence when he reached Rocket Town. What had his team said if they had gotten there already?

Vincent, on the other hand, mulled more on what Cloud had told him. It was certainly a lot to take in, and it would take time to absorb it all. The blond had told Vincent much about Sephiroth, and about the experiments Hojo was doing or would do. Vincent's agenda was his own, but Cloud's intentions were aligned with his for now. The ex-Turk would reserve judgment on matters of trust, but a tentative arrangement was fine. Cloud was, despite appearances, deceptively strong, and if all was true, quite the resource.

* * *

Reno flopped back down on the freezing floor, feeling rather pissed off and yet, reluctantly impressed that he'd been taken so off guard.

They'd taken just about everything from him. His shoelaces, his belt, all the safety-pins on his standard-issue uniform, even his necklace, earring, and hair tie. He hated when his hair was loose.

Least he was left with his clothes; Reno could appreciate the altruistic side of whatever group decided he was worth the trouble of keeping for them, they hadn't done a strip search.

He knew the drill: capture a prisoner and leave him to brood over it for a couple of hours, maybe even days. He doesn't know who's got him, why, or what they're planning for him, and he's left alive to be tortured by it.

They'd keep it too cold to be comfortable, have the lighting go on and off at random to disorient, and if they were particularly devious they'd have some elevator music playing.

Reno laughed under his breath. Idiots.

He pulled his shirt off, shivering slightly at the chill in the room, before tossing it into a corner. Wrapped around his stomach and chest were two rolls of toilet paper. They were so smoothly wrapped they felt like a little fat over muscle during a pat down, and as long as Reno didn't do any back flips they wouldn't rip.

But the best thing about toilet paper?

Incredibly useful,and you could peel it apart and get twice the length.

People didn't think about that when they were going into the woods, but Reno learned well from the first test.

You could write notes with it, clog a toilet (if they gave you one), and clean up messes.

Unfortunately, Reno didn't have any cellmates to trade notes with, no toilet, and no blood or fingerprints to wipe clean. But toilet paper was excellent relief from boredom—and he expected whoever it was to make him wait at least ten hours.

* * *

Rocket Town was fairly unchanged since the last time Cloud had been there. The rocket failure had been just in the spring of this year, so Shinra was pulling all its space operations out now. Cloud didn't want to think about how the ex-scientists and mechanics were dealing with the presence of SOLDIER in their town. There was a lot of resentment because of all the jobs lost, especially as it was the canceled Shinra-project that was going to make the town prosperous.

Vincent had disappeared not long after the town came into view. At this point the blond refused to be impressed with the man's abilities.

Cloud made the rest of the way down the mountain by himself, taking his time as he did, until he reached the entrance where he was escorted by one of the SOLDIER Thirds stationed at the front gate to the hotel-turned-command-center.

Cloud was left in a small parlor room off the side of the main lobby. Many regulation soldiers running around, along with several cadets sprawled out along chaises and chairs. One or two raised a hand in greeting_._ He didn't see any of his teammates, but he would work with the assumption they'd come in first. If his story was vague enough, it wouldn't contradict whatever they might have said.

"Cloud Strife?"

The blond turned and nodded at the SOLDIER here to debrief him. The guy looked tired and more than a little bored.

"Please narrate for me what occurred between the landing and your arrival in Rocket Town."

Cloud sat more fully on the couch before opening his mouth.

The first half was about his team and establishing their path to Rocket Town. Then he had to explain how he became separated.

"On the second day, I thought I heard noises coming from the trees on one side of the road. I went to investigate and it took longer than I thought it would. When I tried to return to the path, my teammates were gone. I figured I'd come back ahead or behind them, but when I started walking in the direction we were supposed to go in, I ran into another team. Rather than get taken out, I went into the woods."

The SOLDIER was scribbling it all down so fast Cloud was sure he wasn't taking in anything more than the bare facts. He'd probably been debriefing cadets all day, and Cloud was glad he'd waited until just before dinnertime, when the end of a shift was, to come in.

"I ended up cutting through the woods to get here on my own. I only ran into a couple small monsters."

The SOLDIER didn't seem to realize he'd gotten the highly edited version of the story. When the blond stopped talking and the Third finished writing, he glanced up to make sure that was it.

"That all?"

"Yes." Cloud didn't say more.

The SOLDIER signed off on the bottom of the notes and stood up. "You'll be able to find an empty bed upstairs on the second floor. Dinner will be in half an hour in the lobby here. You'll be confined to the hotel unless under the supervision of a SOLDIER."

Cloud saluted smartly and the guy waved him off and left. The blond sighed and decided to head upstairs and see if his team had made it in yet.

* * *

Reno didn't want to speculate, but Cloud's words were still ringing around in his head. If blondie had left those words with him before taking off…well, it certainly gave credence to his own situation.

Reno carefully set down another origami frog, his battalion of them set up in concentric circles with him at the center. Toilet paper, though thin and easily torn, was quite foldable, even if most of the frogs fell over eventually. He wished he knew more shapes, but he couldn't quite remember the crane.

But really, this was kind of a stupid test if that was true. It'd be kind of cool though, even if he didn't know if he could ever deal with the three-piece suits.

After a nap and some time wasted blowing bubbles and popping gum, fools didn't think to look inside the folds of clothes; Reno was starting to get bored. There were only so many frog armies he could make before it got old, and by his calculations someone should be coming for him soon.

But in the mean time…

_How do you fold a fortuneteller again?

* * *

_

Vincent had visited Rocket Town before, but it hadn't been called that then. Now, the famed rocket the town had been renamed for lay off to the side in an open field, abandoned. The failed launch seemed to have taken the wind of out of the townspeople's sails.

It had been easy to slip in behind a restaurant. The SOLDIERs watching for returning cadets were on their last shift and only guarding the main gates. In town, Vincent maintained a low profile, skimming through the newspaper left in a garbage bin, and eavesdropping on a handful of conversations. Predictably it was all about Shinra's takeover of the local hotel for the SOLDIER Exam, old anger at the company, and the General's iconic presence.

The newspaper offered a little more insight into Shinra's activities. It was mostly politics, though Vincent did not recall the President having a son, nor did he remember the war they continued to reference.

After much wandering about, including through a veritable museum of old planes in someone's backyard, Vincent was able to find a good angle of the hotel.

Inside he could make out cadets flopped backwards on couches, feet propped in the air, and on the second floor someone asleep by the open window. The third floor was quiet, but the town bar just down the road was rowdy.

The ex-Turk lingered there, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of Sephiroth. Cloud had told him what had become of Lucrecia's child, but there was a difference in seeing with his own eyes. Vincent knew this well.

It was two long hours of watching cadets talk and a handful of semi-responsible drunk SOLDIERs drift back in and pass out on their beds before the Great General finally appeared.

Accompanied by a fellow SOLDIER, Sephiroth's brilliant silver hair stood out obviously. He had strong features, though his face belied a life of solitude and war: stoic, cold, and socially distant; Hojo had made the perfect SOLDIER indeed.

Something inside Vincent, the insidious little voice he'd tried to appease before when he'd laid down in that coffin, told him he should have known this was coming. He'd seen the experiments, the testing Lucrecia had undergone for "science", and it was obvious that the child would be something exceptional—different.

It hurt, he could admit it, to see what he'd tried to stop right before his eyes: Lucrecia's illness, the child that would become an experiment rather than a human… Sephiroth, from the sounds of Cloud's testimony, was not Hojo's drone, which was the only thing he could be thankful for.

The guilt came back stronger than ever. _You did this to him. You failed to save either of them. Now she's dead, and he's as much a monster as you are._

He had seen enough.

* * *

Cloud walked up to the second floor of the hotel. It was quieter here, the faint voices of cadets in the lobby drifting up. He poked his head into two rooms, looking for his missing team, before someone stepped out into the hallway.

"Cloud!"

The blonde turned to see Aaron standing outside one of the rooms further down. "Come here! John's here too."

Cloud followed him in to see a sleeping John on one of the hotel beds. The room was a typical hotel room with two single beds, a small nightstand, and a desk in one corner. A magazine lay discarded on the floor, from Aaron most likely.

"Glad you made it," Aaron whispered, sitting down on the desk chair and indicating the bed for Cloud. "I already took a nap, but I wanted to see if there are any stragglers. We made it here in the early afternoon. Where were you? Where's Dan?"

Cloud paused to sit down, glancing over at John and then the door. "I went to Nibelheim. What about Dan?"

Aaron looked surprised at Cloud. "Didn't he go with you? That night you and him went missing. We figured he'd gone with you."

Cloud looked at Aaron hard for a couple of seconds. Dan might have tried to follow him, but Cloud was pretty sure he'd have heard him. If they thought they'd gone together though, they may not have searched as thoroughly. If Dan tried to follow and got lost… "No, he was asleep when I left."

"Shit," Aaron cursed, which was uncharacteristic of him. "We lost Reno too. Not a day after you'd left, he went to pee and never came back."

"Gone?" Cloud was rather alarmed at hearing this. Dan gone and then Reno, made it seem as though they were being picked off. Did whoever steal Jenova have something to do with this?But Dan? It couldn't have been another team; it was far too sophisticated. SOLDIER?

"Did you find out what happened?" He demanded, turning back to Aaron.

"No. We ran into Maxwell's team, but he'd gone missing too. I checked with the other teams when we got here, but no one else has lost anyone like that. Just those three. SOLDIER wouldn't listen to me either."

Cloud exhaled, thinking hard. There shouldn't be anyone in the mountains except cadets and SOLDIERs. Turks were a vague possibility, but it didn't account for Dan or Maxwell. Cloud didn't know much about Turk recruitment, but he was fairly sure those two weren't their style.

"What will we do? They fly us back to Midgar tomorrow morning, and I've heard they're only going to send one team out for the rest—and that's like, two-thirds of all the cadets here apparently. Dan won't last out in those woods. Especially off the trail. Whole teams are lost out there."

Aaron's worry was obvious, but they didn't have many options. They didn't have much independence within SOLDIER, and if Dan had drifted the way Cloud had gone he would probably hit Nibelheim, or at least a path around there. If not… there was a good chance he might not leave. The Nibel Mountains were unforgiving, especially in winter, Cloud knew.

"We have to wait. If they don't show tomorrow there's nothing we can do."

* * *

The locks began to turn in the door, and Reno, who had been lounging, making his frogs fight each other out of boredom, sat up.

The metal door was pushed open and a blue-suited man stood on the other side. He didn't look familiar, but Reno knew immediately who he was—or rather, who he represented.

The man seemed to blink in shock at the legion of origami frogs, a feat because his eyelids didn't move. Reno had kept the origami frogs laid out covering the floor in their troops.

He stretched as he stood, "Ready?"

He'd like to say he let them put the handcuffs on before he was dragged to an interrogation room that looked exactly the same as the one from the drug-testing incident he'd been sent to. The walls were plain, no windows of course, and a steel-framed door. The only furniture was the table, nailed to a plain tile floor, and an old phone on it, along with a pad and pencil for notes.

Doing his best to unnerve the guards, Reno happily sat himself and even slouched in the chair, being extra friendly as the Turk handcuffed him to the table.

"So, are you going to at least leave me donuts this time? It's just common courtesy, man," Reno drawled. The Turk ignored him though, but Reno didn't mind.

"You know, you look pretty sharp in that blue suit. They come custom?"

It earned him the tiniest of scowls, but no other visible reaction.

Firmly attached to the table, the Turk left and Reno sat in the over-air-conditioned room, humming to himself. Honestly, he was a little worried about what this was about, but he couldn't let them know that. If the Turks were involved, then the big guns would be coming soon.

And they did so.

Literally.

"Tseng!" Reno yelled, smiling brightly at him. This was his chance to get back at Tseng for that-

The phone was picked up from the table and slammed into his head, causing Reno to shout and almost fall to the floor. The handcuffs caught him though, chafing his wrists as he struggled to right himself.

"What the hell? Don't I at least get a safe-word?"

Tseng sneered at him. "Now that _that's_ in order, tell me Reno, how badly do you want to be in SOLDIER?"

"What?" He tried to automatically touch the bruise already forming on his forehead, but his hands were caught by the cuffs.

"I don't repeat myself," Tseng said patiently.

"Well, you gotta think that it's way better than getting stuck kissing your ass all day," he managed to get out, if barely. Another swing of the telephone, and _Planet_, Tseng was a sadist…

With a pained groan, "You know I think we're bordering on abuse here, baby."

Tseng's smirk almost made Reno want to squirm. "I heard you managed to slip in gum _and _toilet paper into our rooms."

"I'm a ninja," Reno rolled his eyes, trying to keep his cool. He liked Turk tests even less than SOLDIER tests, and Tseng was just teasing him with mindless details. "Come on Tseng, enough twisted foreplay already."

Any hope of putting the Turk off balance was dashed, when Tseng asked, "What contact to do you have with Feuer Frei?"

Reno groaned. You work with one gang and they think you work with them all. What about "exclusive" does no one get anymore?

"Don't I get a phone call or something?" Reno asked, deliberately ignoring the question in favor of groaning as he rolled his head back to loll on the chair back.

Reno couldn't see Tseng's face, but he sure knew what it'd look like, freaking smirking sadist.

"You may be able to dig yourself out of this if you play your cards right, Reno."

"What is this, the dog squad? I know you do 'recruitment' for SOLDIER," _my ass,_ Reno thought, "but what? I can't get in 'cause I lived under the plate and affiliated with a gang? You know that everyone is. Know more if you took that stick out of your ass an-"

"Reno, Reno, Reno." Tseng's fingers ghosted over Reno's shoulder, skimmed through his loose hair, and yanked a fist full at the back of his head. Reno yelped.

"I know you've figured out what this is already. I wouldn't have chosen you if you couldn't. Right now, your survival rate's hovering about 30%—but if you play my game, you'll be a Turk. _My _subordinate."

* * *

Genesis frowned, staring at a smoldering wreckage that _definitely_ shouldn't have been there. Mako and other chemicals were still dribbling out of pipelines, sparks were still coming off freshly cut wires, and it was still smoking. The whole thing couldn't have been more than hours old.

He flipped through _Loveless_, searching for the right passage. Jenova was a necessary component of Dr. Hollander's plan if he ever wanted to save him or Angeal. This should have been relatively simple. Go to the Nibel reactor and retrieve it. It would be right under that bastard Hojo's noise, and no one would be the wiser for at least several months before the next inspection.

"Wow…"

Genesis didn't even glance over. This… pet he'd saved had followed him all the way here. It hadn't been worth getting annoyed at, but now it was an unwelcome addition to this… problem.

"What happened?"

Genesis didn't bother to answer that, instead reflecting on a passage, _"__Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return."_

It wasn't what he was looking for, in fact, what he really needed was for someone to inform him _why_ the reactor was gone. It was here when Hollander last checked Shinra's database. It wasn't right that it would be _gone_. Conveniently just _hours_ before he got here. The little town hadn't even gotten up here yet, and the damn thing was still _warm_.

"Huh? Um… what was it?"

Genesis whipped around to face the little cadet, annoyed now that he was unable to find the right passage in _Loveless _and something was asking stupid questions.

"That _was _my mission. Now why are you here?"

Not really expecting a good answer, the ex-SOLDIER turned away, only to turn back at the mumbled reply.

"Um, SOLDIER Exam?" The cadet looked unsure, but more eager now. "Yeah, it's the SOLDIER Exam. We have to get to Rocket Town by… tomorrow. Wait! Are you going there too?"

"No," Genesis said shortly. "Who's here for the exam?"

"Well, cadets of course. Oh! And some returning soldiers too."

Genesis narrowed his eyes, his acute hearing almost catching the "eep" of the cadet.

"_Which_ SOLDIERs ?"

"Uh, oh, well, I think the General is here. He flew out with us. And a bunch of Seconds and probably Thirds."

"Sephiroth is here?"

"Uh…I think so."

Genesis turned away from the babbling cadet to look back at the remains of the reactor. "Jenova was supposed to be here…"

Standing up, the ex-SOLDIER made one circuit around the ruins, determining that if that creature were here it was gone now, before turning back to the cadet who was still hanging around.

"What?" He asked, irritated.

"Well… are you at least heading towards Rocket Town?"

Genesis rolled his eyes this time, breaking the esteemed expression his face usually settled in, and didn't answer. Before the human could even react, he took off at a sprint, weaving through trees back up the mountain, easily losing the cadet. He had to at least get a glimpse of Sephiroth. See what he was up to now that he and Angeal were gone.

"_Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess / We seek it thus, and take to the sky / Ripples form on the water's surface / The wandering soul knows no rest."

* * *

_

Careful to move quietly through the caves, the middle-aged woman worked her way through windy corridors of natural cave, toxic wet spots of molten mako, and brilliant beams of sunlight shooting through a pock-holed roof.

The materia caves of the Nibel Mountains were not well known, even by many people of Nibelheim. The monsters that prowled between the town and the caves were often terrifying enough to frighten away most people, and only the guides ever wandered this way.

Elanor Strife was a different kind of woman. Life in the mountains with a rebellious streak wide as those mountains had taught her not to be afraid. Certainly after her lonely exile from the town's community, she'd learned to be stronger still. There were very few experiences as hardening than being abandoned by the father of one's child, and then having to raise the little boy by one's in a town that didn't take kindly to strangers or single mothers. By picking her way quietly up the mountain and being extra careful if fresh tracks were about, she had managed to make this trip safely time and again.

Jewelry that used mako was rare, exquisite, and fetched a high price in the local markets. When she had the chance, Elanor made beaded jewelry from bits of hard, untainted mako found in the caves. She had taken a young Cloud here, his little plump hand in her own, when the beasts had pulled back in the early winter. She had tried to instill in her son a sense of awareness of the world, even their small corner of it. It was how, after years of hard work, she managed to send her only son all the way to Midgar for a better life.

Rounding the next corner, she could just make out the mako fountain. A true thing of beauty, it never failed to humble her, no matter how many times she came. Pure, untouched mako burbled up from it, causing mako crystals to develop to even the size of her hand. Elanor had never dared to touch it—mako poisoning was, after all, not unheard of in a reactor town—but instead moved about the edges of the pool it formed, carefully picking up the solid drops that had fallen to the side.

As she picked up the new droplets around the fountain, a soft echo bounced to her from one of the side passages. The cave was riddled with naturally forming paths, so at first she dismissed the noise. Small monsters creeped through these caves, and so long as you didn't bother them, they did not bother you.

The sound repeated though, forming slowly a steady pattern of footsteps that echoed off the walls to make it seem like a small crowd walked. Surprised more than afraid, Elanor Strife turned around to see human shadows on one of the walls, slowly looming larger. Had someone from the town come up here? A lost guide? Daring hunters?

As they rounded the bend, Elanor was surprised to see three people she didn't recognize and who did not seem like anyone she had ever met before. It was odd to see such a disparate group; one was only a boy, perhaps her son's age, while the other two were clearly older. The tallest looked like a formidable man, with broad shoulders and strong arms, but the one standing in the most relaxed manner…well, she wasn't sure at first glance if they were a man or a woman. All of them wore no winter clothing at all, though they were armed.

Elanor Strife had encountered a lot of things she didn't understand in her lifetime, and she tried her best to take things in stride. She smiled tentatively.

She felt a tinge of nervousness as she made eye contact with the youngest one, but determinedly ignored the feeling, instead drawing on all her stubbornness and strength honed from years of hardship.

Strangely, all had silver hair, and as they approached it glittered and reflected the blue-green light of the mako fountain. She was reminded of her son's childhood hero.

Stranger still, the youngest one walked closer to her, hand outstretched. From the look of him he was a late teen, but his eyes and manner seemed so much younger.

"Mother?"


	29. Chapter 29

Writer's Note: It's been awhile, and I know I promised more and faster updates, but frankly it's just not turning out that way. I _can_ blame some of the slowness of this update on my beta (the ever-lovely **Birddi**), who spent her summer abroad. This was also slowed down because of the vital importance of this chapter. This is the major turning point, so Birddi was extra tough on me to make sure it came out right. Things are going to _fly_ (hopefully) in terms of plot after this. I'm hoping to keep this story under 40 chapters, because it's already getting a little unmanageable, but we'll see. I tend to write epics, as you can probably tell.

Edit: Thanks everyone who pointed out some of the typos and goofs FF(dot)net likes to throw in.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine ****(08-26-10)**  


_I knew you when you were a Turk._

A blue-suited Turk thrust a gun into Reno's hand, and the door was slammed shut behind him. The man was unknown to Reno, but he was beginning to suspect what was going to happen. In fact, he was beginning to suspect a lot about what was going to happen.

Reno knew Shinra had some weird things going on, but an entire underground training facility? The damn thing was like a labyrinth. Reno had been wandering around in the dimly lit metal interior for nearly two hours, and he hadn't gotten anywhere. Although, he was pretty sure he was back in Midgar, too. The city's smell seeped into everything.

According to Tseng, he'd "know what to do".

Asshole.

_I knew you when you were a Turk._

The maze was dark, riddled with dead ends, pitch-black tunnels, monsters like the ones in the slums, and a confusing array of other Turks, who would happily shoot him. He'd had more near misses than he could count, especially when there was no cover and he had tosprint for it. So far Reno had only found a box of ammunition but no food or water.

Was he supposed to kill the Turks shooting him? Most of them were up high, and he hadn't been able to do more than duck around a corner and fire blindly. The low lighting, not to mention that there were loads of boxes, cubbyholes, and hidden balconies for the would-be snipers to hide behind, made it near impossible to get a good shot.

No wonder the goddamn survival rate was 30%. They were _actively_ trying to kill him.

Reno dodged behind a wooden crate just in time as the bullet skimmed by him. The report of the gun was deafening in this metal maze, echoing over an invisible ceiling and making his ears ring every time he fired. He'd given up shooting back, letting the Turks think he'd run off in the other direction or something.

_I knew you when you were a Turk. I knew you when you were a Turk. _

_What the fuck, Cloud? Slip me a stupid note before you disappear and you tell me _that?_  
_

The words continued to repeat themselves even as Reno moved through the maze, only half a mind on how to get out. The other half focused solely on Cloud. Turk? Reno had never been a fucking Turk. Still, nothing seemed to make sense now with Cloud. What kind of cryptic message was that?

It was another three hours of this mess, including a nasty encounter with some fiend that looked like a cross between a crab and a lion, before Reno finally seemed to be getting somewhere in the maze. Cloud's words were still a really annoying mystery, but one that was set aside for his immediate survival.

You always knew you were deep in enemy territory when either the gunfire turned up a notch—or when it completely stopped. But at least it gave him some information about what was going to happen next.

The dark hallway he was carefully walking through opened up to a larger room. Reno couldn't make out detail as he crouched to the ground, but he could sense the space in the air. Roughly ten minutes ago he seemed to have passed the barrier of their "guard", the people that were firing on him. Now he just needed to figure out Tseng's non-instructions.

Keeping low to the ground, Reno carefully peeked out from the hallway, then risked sticking a booted foot out. It had more protection than a bare hand—barely—and if he kept it low he might not attract other unwanted attention. If there were someone or something there, they would leap for that first.

When nothing immediately grabbed or shot at him, Reno tentatively stepped out.

His footsteps reverberated in the still air as he made his way through the large expense, only vaguely sensing the opening where another hallway began. It was mad creepy wandering around in the dark like this. Reno seriously hoped he was getting to the end of it.

After a couple more turns, Reno started to notice the change in atmosphere. The metal ground became a carpet, there were doorknobs at even intervals, and after jumping up, was able to touch the ceiling, complete with electric lights. It felt like…an office.

The doors were all locked, so Reno stalked down the black hallway with little idea of where he was. He couldn't see more than three feet ahead of him, and he hadn't the faintest idea exactly what he was supposed to be doing other than surviving. Was there a goal? Was he supposed to do something? It felt like somewhere between a video game and horror flick. This was like a totally bizarre trip.

As Reno walked though, he began to hear the sound of steady breathing. It echoed faintly in the quiet, and every sense heightened almost painfully. Reno slowed his steps and evened his breaths, moving carefully but steadily closer to the sound.

It was through that door, the one Reno could now see, barely two feet from it, that was slightly open. He could almost feel someone in there, breathing quietly, probably muffled behind their hand from the sounds of it. Another recruit? Were they supposed to duke it out? That would be totally cliché, Reno couldn't help thinking. Either way though, he was _not_ dying in some barbaric test of Tseng's creation.

Holding the gun in both hands, arms taunt and body ready, he jumped out and aimed, finger just a hair over the trigger, but didn't fire.

There wasn't any movement, just a hitched breath, and Reno could see now that there was a low light here, illuminating a person tied to a chair with duck tape. He was wearing a standard Shinra soldier uniform, and it was impossible to tell his identity because of the black bag tied over his head.

Reno had been through a lot of shit today (or was it two days? He didn't really know how much time had passed since he'd been kidnapped.), and he really didn't want to deal with a hostage. Free him? Drag his sorry ass to safety without getting both of them killed?

He didn't have to think long before Tseng stepped out of the shadows, flicking the light on more. Reno almost shot him there, but held his ground, squinting in the bright light as Tseng moved behind the hostage tied to the chair.

"So you made it." Tseng's lip curled a little, but Reno wasn't sure if he was displeased he'd made it, or something else. "Kill him."

Reno thought for a split-second that Tseng was telling someone else to kill _him_, but when nothing happened, Reno realized then what this test was all about.

He had to kill the guy in the chair.

The muffled voice behind the bag wasn't understandable, but it was pretty clear the guy was alive and terrified.

Reno felt slightly green at the thought of the squirming man who could hear every word.

"Reno, kill him." Tseng was standing _right there_ looking almost nonchalant about the whole thing. Something about the tension in Tseng's face though told Reno he maybe wasn't as onboard with this as he looked.

_I knew you when you were a Turk. _

Reno needed to stall. He needed to feel the situation out first.

"What's he done?"

Tseng shrugged. "Does it matter?"

Reno watched Tseng as he spoke, careful to analyze his expression. This could be a backwards test, but if this were to become a Turk…

_I knew you when you were a Turk. _

"Your order is to kill him."

Reno paused to consider the guy strapped to the chair. He didn't look that old from body structure alone. A soldier then? Reno had only killed in the heat of the moment, so standing there preparing himself for it felt wrong. A shoot out in the slums wasn't really meant to kill someone; it was just to scare the others off. The only real time he'd ever given it much thought was when he'd fired at one guy who just kept coming, and even then the adrenaline from the gun pointed straight at him had been a big part of it.

This was…different.

Reno raised the gun though, aiming down the barrel for the man's head. The only mercy of a soldier was a fast death.

_I knew you when you were a Turk... _Wait, _knew_? As in _known_, been friends with? Not just known he was one, but _knew knew_?

"Hey, Tseng… when you knew something, it already happened, right?"

He pulled the trigger before he could try and be moral.

If there was one thing Reno was thankful for, gunshots are a pretty clean way to kill. Other than the spasm of impact, and the head dropping forward, there wasn't much evidence. The dark uniform and bag hid any bloodstain. Reno was quite thankful then he didn't have to see the man's face.

Tseng's clapping echoed mockingly as Reno moved to point the gun at the Turk.

"Reno," Tseng said, looking awfully relaxed for a man with a gun dead-set on him, "Welcome to the Turks."

_I knew you when you were a Turk. _

Tseng said something more, but Reno wasn't really listening. Cloud had _known_. The blond had known Reno was being eyed by the Turks, he'd known that Reno would pass their stupid test and become one. It was like he could see the future…or something. God that sounded stupid when he thought it but—

Reno didn't finish the thought. Tseng had whipped off the black bag on the man's head, revealing the face.

Maxwell.

He'd shot and killed a fellow cadet. A bastard of one, but still a peer.

Had Cloud known that? If he'd known Reno as a Turk…

* * *

The return trip to Midgar was one giant party.

It had taken seven helicopters to fly everyone out, but in the end it took only two helicopters to fly them back. Eight cadets had passed to join SOLDIER. Those that didn't make it back to Rocket Town in time would be rounded up and returned to join the regulation army.

Despite Dan and Reno's missing status, Cloud was still able to join in the good feelings of those eight that made it. His dream of SOLDIER had finally come true,but it was bittersweet that it had taken until now for him to do it. He would be a SOLDIER.

When they landed in Midgar, there were more shouts, calls for another wild night at a bar, and all manner of celebration. These lucky eight were going on, and even Cloud was drawn in once again, his smile bright.

The cadets—now SOLDIER Thirds technically—were dismissed. Before Cloud could move off with the others, Zack's arm landed on his shoulder, squeezing again.

"Proud of you Spike."

He closed his eyes.

Zack had been saying that since yesterday, when he'd come bursting into Cloud's room shouting congratulations and about beer and steak. Zack treated him to dinner, drilling him about the second half of the exam the whole way, and recounting his own promotion to SOLDIER afterwards. Though Cloud was forced to severely edit his recount of the exam, he was more than happy to hear about Zack's promotion properly this time.

Before—in truly another lifetime—Cloud had heard second hand about Zack's advancement to SOLDIER. It had been during the war Aeris explained, when just about everyone became a SOLDIER because they needed the men. He'd jumped from Third to First is two months, Zack told him, and Cloud just sat back and let his friend talk, gesturing the whole while. If Cloud could, he'd never have it any other way: a full stomach, troubles forgotten for the moment, friendship, and laughs.

This was why, he told himself as he just let Zack's voice wash over him, that he did this in the first place.

When they'd finally returned to the hotel, it was to a mystifyingly distracted Sephiroth. Zack didn't seem to react immediately to it though, perhaps still caught up in Cloud's promotion high.

"What's up Seph?"

Cloud fought not to fidget when Sephiroth glanced briefly over at him, but he got the impression he wasn't involved. This offered little relief though, because something was clearly bothering the General.

"I wished to congratulate you, Strife, on your performance. You will be a welcome addition to SOLDIER."

Sephiroth's tone was formal, and Cloud responded in kind with a stiff bow and murmured thanks. Zack shot the General a look, seeming to catch on now, but otherwise didn't say anything.

There was an awkward lull that Zack immediately strove to fill.

"I'm pretty sure I saw some guy with pudding earlier on. You want some Seph? Cloud?"

Cloud shook his head, murmuring something about a full stomach. Sephiroth didn't offer anything more than a "no thank you", before leaving for his room. Zack looked mildly worried, but didn't ask Cloud for any help with Sephiroth's enigma.

Zack ruffled his hair one more time and said with a slightly wider smile than he might have otherwise sported, "Catch you bright and early tomorrow, huh?"

Now, Zack laughed good-naturedly had told him to pack up, patting him on the back and stirring from his reminiscences on Sephiroth's off behavior.

"You're going to get the dress uniform when you get to your new rooms—four guys in one bunk! Ceremony's tomorrow, bright and early. Then we'll see about an apprenticeship, huh?"

Cloud could feel something short-circuit in his brain. "R- Really?"

"What? You weren't expecting that?" Zack really laughed then, "Everyone in SOLDIER's been asking me why it's taking so long. When you're a Third I'll start training you for real."

Zack punched Cloud's shoulder lightly then, and waved as he began to walk off to join the General. Cloud's eyes followed him as he did, and he really smiled and he jogged back to the cadet barracks for the last time.

* * *

The ceremony was like all the ones before it, except that Zack was beaming like a proud father and bragging about Cloud every chance he could get.

It annoyed him.

The General stood stiffly at the head of the room, while Heidegger rambled on about pride and glory. He was in no mood to be doing this. All he wanted to do was disappear for a while and think.

Cloud Strife's enigma had continued to puzzle Sephiroth. He simply had no answers, and no way to extract them without due cause for alarm. While waiting for the blond to finish the final part of the exam, Sephiroth decided it was time to do a little digging.

He was never one for hacking, but Sephiroth liked to be well rounded, and he knew a thing or two about computers. Borrowing Zack's computer for both the clearance and the lack of spying eyes—it had been a long-standing aggravation that he had to borrow one of his first's computers if he wanted any privacy—Sephiroth quickly accessed Shinra's main database.

He should have done this earlier, he thought, as he skimmed public records. Zack was off chatting with the other SOLDIERs, so Sephiroth had some time in his office unbothered. No doubt Zack might want to help, knew the other man was just as bothered by the questions,but Sephiroth wanted to do this alone.

The files on record matched those in Shinra's database from when Cloud joined, so Cloud hadn't lied in that respect. The blond had also never won any sort of competition—in fighting or otherwise—so finding out if he had personal training would be difficult. Especially considering in a small town like Nibelheim arranging that sort of thing would be informal.

Digging deeper, Sephiroth considered other possibilities. He had entertained the thought that Cloud might be associated with a group like AVALANCHE. If that were the case, other departments in Shinra might have a file that may have clues. There was also, regrettably, Hojo. The man was, among other things, very organized, and he often kept private files on anything that caught his attention. Cloud might very well be one of those things, though the thought was off-putting.

What Sephiroth had found in Hojo's hidden files last night had been disturbing and highly upsetting. Until Sephiroth could find a way to confront Hojo about it, or at least covertly deal with his own feelings on the…abomination Hojo had spawned.

Heidegger, with his famous 'horse laugh' as it was known, left through a side door. Sephiroth said his bit, hardly hearing himself despite the eight new Thirds hanging on his every word, and left quickly. He sensed Zack's concerned look, but ignored it.

He needed to find better coping mechanisms than killing things, but that would do for now.

* * *

The first two days of being a Third were mostly orientation. SOLDIER's do this, your canteen is here, training gym over there, make Shinra proud, blah blah blah.

Yet, despite the dullness of those days, all the other boys were seeing the world in a new light, and Cloud soaked it up like a sponge. He was a SOLDIER.

Cloud was just as happy about SOLDIER, but he couldn't see the world in a new light. Reno's still unexplained disappearance was becoming disturbing, but he held out hope it was the Turks. Not to mention that Cloud had yet to see Dan, which begged the question of what happened to him.

Most worrying of all though was Jenova's mysterious departure. There were just too many things going on to be light-hearted for long, and in his experience, things, in fact, got worse.

It was the third day of SOLDIER when Zack kicked open Cloud's door at 0800. The blond was not at all expecting Zack's visit, and so was barely dressed in time to be dragged out the door.

Zack wasn't talking, just grinning stupidly as he wolfed down his breakfast with Cloud, before hauling him off again.

"Zack, where are we going?"

"Aw Cloud, you've asked like fifty times. You'll see in a sec." Zack was far too excited for Cloud's liking, and it was making him nervous.

Cloud was pretty sure it was the third time, but let it past. Still pleased with the easy peace between them, it was strange now that after years of fantasizing about these small interactions with the man he was able to have them.

They arrived in front of a building on a part of the compound Cloud had not been to yet.

"Um…"

"It's the First Class' gym!" Zack swiped his card and pushed the doors open, walking Cloud past an impressive pool, weight training room, and finally to a large gymnasium built especially for sword fighting.

"Zack!" Cloud hissed, suddenly uncomfortable as a First passed by, giving Cloud a curious look before grinning at Zack. "I don't think I'm supposed to be here."

"Puh-leez," Zack laughed off, waving away Cloud's concerns. "I reserved the _whole_ gym just for this."

Cloud was about to say something, but the words died in his throat as Zack swung the door open. Sephiroth, in full battle uniform, was standing in the center of the room with Zack's buster sword in one hand, and what looked like an older one in the other.

"Ready to take a swing?"

* * *

If someone had thrown Cloud off the roof of Shinra HQ, he probably wouldn't have noticed.

Zack didn't seem to notice Cloud's stunned expression, or if he did he misinterpreted it.

"I know you've been hankering for a go, so Seph and I dug up this old buster sword. She's a fine piece of work despite her age; I think you'll like her."

While Zack was talking, Cloud could sense Sephiroth's curious stare. His skin felt itchy, and his hands began to sweat. He was undoubtedly here to watch and see how Cloud was doing. The blond was pretty sure this was the precursor to the inevitable interrogation. Even still, Cloud couldn't control his ingrained reaction to the man when he was dressed in battle gear.

"Sure," Cloud murmured, only half-hearing Zack as he took the proffered blade from Sephiroth, not realizing how he'd continue to keep a steady eye on Sephiroth's sword hand.

It was an old buster sword that had seen better days, but the blade had been sharpened and the handle rewrapped. As Cloud hefted it up, he could feel the mean weight of the weapon, and it felt right somehow. Regular swords were always, somehow, a little inadequate compared to the brute strength of a buster sword.

It was hard to compare his old buster swords to this one. If it weighed less, he couldn't tell given the alterations in his physique. Not to mention that it had been, what, almost half a year since he'd held one? Had it really been that long?

Sephiroth assessed as Cloud examine the weapon, but he could already see what Zack and he had talked about. Cloud _knew_ weapons. He had experience as a warrior, and seemed familiar with the buster sword, which was suspicious because heavy weapons like a buster sword were rare. He looked over to Zack, noting his friend's expression.

For Zack, it was undeniable now, and a small lump formed in his throat of what he and Seph were doing to Cloud. It had to be done, but it was unfortunate they couldn't be more straightforward about it.

Lifting up _Galatine_ to rest on his shoulders, Zack offered Cloud a cocky grin as he indicated the sword in Cloud's hand. "Warm up a bit first, and then swing her around a bit. Get a feel for it. Then I want to see what you can do."

Cloud looked distracted by the sword, and so Zack was able to sneak a look at Sephiroth, who was standing off to the side. The General's eyes were on Cloud, watching his every movement. They slid over to Zack's though, confirming what he thought. This was probably the best way to do it. Cloud was an exceptionally hard nut to crack, and perhaps the best way would be to prove they knew something was up. Plus, there was no way Cloud could hide his training from both Zack's and Sephiroth's sharp eyes.

After Cloud had gotten the chance to swing the buster sword a bit, Zack called for a slow start.

At first they followed the basic kata, letting Cloud get a feel for how the blades connected, the speed he could swing it, and so on. Zack could see the way Cloud's arms trembled sometimes, whether from exertion of the movement or just sheer weight he wasn't sure. Sometimes he forgot that hefting around a fifty-pound sword was beyond some people's limits.

Cloud, on his part, was doing his best to _not_ do his best. It felt good to swing a buster sword again—too good. Sephiroth's scrutiny was like a burn on his back, not to mention that Zack's eyes were following his every breath, step, and swing. It was unnerving and making him more than a little uncomfortable.

"Okay, faster now Cloud."

They began to speed up, and Cloud's shoulders began to ache a little at having to hold such a heavy blade. He had none of the training he'd had before, when it had been no problem to wield the completed Tsurugi in one hand.

Now though, it was tough. Not to mention that Zack was slowly weaving in more complicated movements. Some of the attacks were more difficult to deflect, and Cloud was often sidestepping and trying to avoid them rather than parry.

They sped up more, and Cloud's biceps began to really shake. He didn't have anywhere near the endurance he'd had before. It was also harder to fight when two sets of eyes were watching every move and every twitch he made.

"Okay, enough."

Relieved, more because the exercise was over than the chance to put the blade down, Cloud lowered the sword to the ground and rolled his shoulders.

Sephiroth, taking note of Cloud's distraction, flicked his eyes at Zack and nodded at the regular broadsword he'd discreetly set aside. This was the real test. Cloud's real strength would not be concealed if he were overwhelmed, and most especially if he didn't have time to think.

The other SOLDIER put down his own buster sword and took up the other sword, throwing one last, somewhat reluctant look at Cloud. Zack was never one for more manipulative means, but Zack hadn't needed too much convincing to prove that a direct approach wouldn't work. Sephiroth was still in command.

"Here Cloud!" Zack called.

Cloud looked up from where he'd been watching the rotation of his arm, only just fumbling to catch the blade tossed to him in time. If forced him to turn and grab the handle or risk skewering himself.

_Wha-?_

Dropping the buster sword and about to yell at Zack about things like basic sword safety, he was abruptly cut off by a silver blur that Cloud instinctively jumped away from.

He didn't have much of a chance to catch his breath before Sephiroth was on him, the totally unexpected fight catching Cloud completely off guard.

It was like a nightmare. What was going on? Where had this come from? Had they planned this? Zack wouldn't do this to him. Sephiroth?

There wasn't time to think though.

Sephiroth was a fast opponent, especially while wielding a ridiculously long sword, and Cloud had to be on his toes if he didn't want to get seriously injured. He had no doubt, considering the force behind the blows that the General wasn't holding back nearly as much as he probably should have on an unenhanced.

It was beautiful and terrible to see Sephiroth this way.

Sephiroth and Masamune was a legendary pair for a reason. Not only did Sephiroth know exactly how to manipulate the blade best at its full reach, but he was also excellent in close-quarters combat. He could make that blade sing.

Cloud's tired shoulders and arms were completely forgotten in the wave of a quick series of slashes followed by a thrust that almost eviscerated him. If it weren't for a nifty wrist twist he'd learned from hundreds of these battles with a very different Sephiroth, he might have only one kidney.

The blond didn't register Zack's low whistle as Sephiroth drove him backwards, the regular broadsword he'd been tossed barely adequate for defending himself.

Sephiroth continued with the motion as Cloud blocked his blade, spinning on the ball of his right foot and using the momentum to drive Masamune home again. He'd trained for years to perfect the art of swordplay, and his keen eye told him Cloud had too. Though a little clumsier and not as refined—speaking of perhaps some self-taught techniques—innovation and a knack for picking up patterns in fighting gave Cloud the edge needed to keep up.

All of the General's frustration at Cloud's enigma was being vented as he swung the sword in a downward arc—using only one hand since he didn't actually want to kill him. The blond had clearly been hiding a lot more than anyone thought, and considering his skill with the blade it was almost a crime.

Why? Sephiroth kept thinking, Why would Cloud hide something like that?

It was this revolving thought that kept Sephiroth moving in a constant flow of motion, never letting the blond stop for breath, no lull in battle. The constant pressure might cause Cloud to slip, and more importantly to break the classic SOLDIER form Zack drilled him in, and instead fight like what his master taught him. Sephiroth hoped to be able to pinpoint this, or at the least recognize where Cloud had learned swordplay.

Thrusting once more, Sephiroth wasn't surprised when Cloud leapt back, attempting to create space despite the considerable reach of Masamune. Logical, but useless as he dashed forward quickly, blade fully extended.

Sephiroth's speed was no match for the unenhanced, and Cloud knew that considering he didn't get much of a chance in the way of fighting back. He was only just defending himself, and more often than not was dodging within a hairsbreadth of each attack. All those years of fighting Sephiroth were actually proving to be a disadvantage now. If he had any chance of hiding anything, it was gone now. Cloud knew Sephiroth patterns; knew the rhythm of his combat since he'd fought him so often, knew that when Sephiroth extended too far to the side it was to follow through with a powerful second swing. He ducked just in time to avoid the first move of the attack that would have taken his head if he hadn't been careful. Masamune's razor sharp blade sang through the air, loping off a lock of hair as Cloud bent backwards to avoid the reflexive response.

It was survival instinct now though, as Cloud parried one sideswipe by Sephiroth. He recognized the follow-up combo move, catching the thrust to his left side with the flat of his blade, and then jamming the tip into the ground, used his momentum to land a kick with his boot to Sephiroth's open chest.

The surprise in both combatants was palpable, and Cloud nearly dropped his sword because he'd just _kicked_ Sephiroth, and oh Planet, except that his opponent recovered quickly and immediately made another swipe at Cloud's head. Barely evading it, Cloud tried to dash off to the right, only to be cut off by the end of Sephiroth's blade.

Quick reflexes allowed Cloud to duck under the vibrating blade, leaving Sephiroth temporarily open. The blond, in a moment of clarity, did not take the chance, instead opting to attempt to escape the situation.

Of course, for all Cloud's speed, it just wasn't enough. That he had the chance at all was something.

There was the whiz of the blade cutting straight through the air that tipped Cloud off. Unable to evade in time, Cloud flipped the broadsword over his back, shielding his heart in a move that would have been a lot more effective if his blade had been as wide as his buster sword. Fortunately, the blond's sidestep the split-second he realized this managed to save him from being speared, but it was a little too close.

Cloud spun and crouched, and Sephiroth reflected his stance. They both waited for a long second, eyeing each other, before the blond make a sudden feint to the left, then turned for a dash to the right, straight at the door.

Cloud stopped dead though as Masamune's tip rested just an inch from his unprotected neck.

"Yield."

Sephiroth's voice was cold, but his eyes were not. They were, rather, curious as they sized up Cloud's potential.

Cloud dropped his weapon, and as Masamune was drawn away from him, he could hear Zack's applause quite suddenly. All sound seemed to come back to him in a rush as his focus came back from his fight.

The blond dropped his gaze from the General's, mind turning over furiously. He had been set up; he could feel it.

"Cloud," Zack said as he approached, looking happy despite the warning in Sephiroth's eyes, "That was amazing. Why would you ever try to hide that?"

The blond tried to think, tried to come up with some explanation everyone would buy that would be difficult to confirm. At the very least, he needed to think of something that might get them off his back long enough for Cloud to arrange a back-up plan.

"I've been waiting for an explanation, Cloud."

The way Sephiroth said his name made his heart pound, and not in a good way. Sephiroth had only ever addressed him by first name after Jenova took hold. He'd said it then with the sort of loving hatred of an arch-nemesis, now it was nothing like that.

"I…"

His mind spun. What could he say? The time travel thing was impossible. Not only would they not believe him, but it was too crazy sounding. He could fudge it, but he didn't know what they were thinking, what theories they'd already come up with, and what might be plausible and what not.

"Spike, you know you're just worrying us, right?" Zack interjected slowly, though he continued to stand by Sephiroth.

Cloud ignored Zack's words, instead his eyes going again to Sephiroth before looking away.

There was always…that.

No one really wanted to question it. If they went looking, well, Hojo was great when it came to hiding things. It might be semi-believable. In fact, it might cover him in the future too. Cloud had not forgotten the mako treatments expected of all SOLDIERs.

He swallowed, even as he made up his mind in those last seconds. He didn't like it, but it was the only thing he could think of. It also wouldn't really be lying. Not completely, which in the long run made him feel better.

"I was… Hojo…"

What Cloud had imagined would be a painful, drawn out explanation, barely got past that. Zack's audible gasp, coupled with the tightened features on Sephiroth's face said it all.

Thank the Planet, Cloud thought with a huge sense of relief. They'd already guessed something like it. That would make this a lot easier.

"I was an… experiment." There was no need to hide his distaste. He wasn't lying at this part. "I don't have a number, but well… Hojo he…" Cloud sort of shrugged, playing up his discomfort in talking about it. If he'd learned anything from Vincent, it was to let people draw their own conclusions if you didn't want to implicate yourself.

He didn't look at the other's faces as he spoke. "It was a while ago, and I don't remember a lot, but… it changed me, and well SOLDIER…"

Zack came towards him as he spoke, and gingerly put an arm around him. Cloud stiffened, but didn't push him away. He felt guilty for deliberately misleading his best friend.

"Look, I just… It's not that big of a deal." He meant it too. Zack's comfort felt strange, foreign even. It had been different when they'd both gone through the ordeal. Now though…

Sephiroth's face showed little though. He stared somewhere over Cloud's head, probably thinking of his own childhood.

There was an audible pause as Sephiroth refocused and moved to speak. "Where did it happen? And," there was a pause as Sephiroth seemed to hesitate, "How did you get out?"

Cloud swallowed, and Zack's hand rubbing his arm actually helped a little. "It was in Nibelheim, and I…" his gaze went to Zack's hand, and he didn't quite know what to say. "I was a failed experiment anyway," he murmured under his breath.

Both SOLDIERs heard it, though neither said anything outwardly.

"And the training?" Sephiroth said after a moment.

"When I got out… someone taught me." Cloud swallowed, his throat strangely constricted. Zack rubbed Cloud's shoulders, before shooting a look at Sephiroth that the blond couldn't interpret.

Nothing more was said about it.

At least, for now.


	30. Chapter 30

Writer's Note: Yes! Green Dreams is finally updated! Chapter 30 is here! Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a minute to read it because this is going to be a long writer's note, so bear with me. First and foremost, a six-month delay in writing this is caused completely and irrevocably because of my waning interest in the fandom. I'm really ashamed of this to be honest. _However_, I intend to complete this story no matter what, and it's your encouraging (and frustrated) reviews that really motivate me. Thank you for each and every one.

On that note though, when my beta and I made the original timeline for this story nearly two years ago, it was based heavily on the Final Fantasy Wikipedia timeline since neither of us have played every game. This timeline has been updated though to reflect all the current canon of FFVII and therefore my timeline needs to be severely altered. This means I may be messing around with the previous chapters to make it work, and I'll let you know when I do this. Ultimately it will all turn out the same, but some things here and there may be edited.

Speaking of editing, some meticulous readers have pointed out some errors in the story. They aren't anything major (ish), but it does warrant a little tweaking.

I want to thank Jade Tatsu for an awesome review pointing out a little something last chapter—you're very astute! This chapter addresses that.

I also want to thank another reader (who's username I don't know since I got an email—let me know and I'll change this), who pointed out a major canonical error here. Anyone remember Barrett popping up in Midgar back in Chapter 10? No? Well, turns out he magically changed himself into an AVALANCHE member even before adopting Marlene. Amazing huh? That scene has been changed. Also, she pointed out Cloud's age is off—he should be 16 when he failed/this time made SOLDIER. The age doesn't affect the plot at all, so I may go back and change this at some point.

Again, thank you for your extreme patience with me. I promise I will try harder to push myself to write and update this. Six months is unforgivable. A big thanks to my beta as always for her editing work and for putting up with my procrastinating.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Thirty (02-26-11)**

"Mother?"

Elanor Strife was quite surprised by the three young men standing in the materia cave, and it didn't even quite register was they called her for several moments. The earnest expression on the boys' faces as they looked at her was making her uncomfortable.

"Uh, I'm sorry, did you get separated?" She asked.

"She has been calling for us but we can't find her."

Elanor was about to mention the pathway to Rocket Town, the only viable way they could have gotten here since she definitely hadn't heard about these young… gentlemen in Nibelheim, but one of the boys interjected before she could speak.

"Do you know where there is more of this stuff so we can find her?" The youngest, with shoulder-length silver hair, gestured at the mako fountain she was standing by, and Elanor felt quite confused.

"Mako? Well, it's everywhere. This is a natural spring though." She paused, unsure if she should ask how mako was related to finding their mother. Something about these boys told her to watch her words. Though they didn't look dangerous at first glance, but the way they stood there, how they looked at her, and those eerie eyes made Elanor very wary.

"So, there are others?" Asked the one with the longest hair.

"Um…" Elanor was still not really sure what was going on, and it was making her nervous. She didn't know who these boys were or where they'd come from, but she trusted her intuition that something was very wrong with them. And how was mako related to anything? "Yes, I believe natural springs occur all over the world. And there's mako reactors…"

The biggest of the three, and most likely the eldest, looked strangely on the verge of tears at the mention of so many places. The middle one muttered something, and the eldest interjected with a petulant, "I'm _not_ crying!"

Elanor decided it might be best to leave while things were still calm. These boys were all armed, one with a gun, one with a sword, and the largest with some strange contraption on his arm, and they appeared a little unstable. It was likely something had happened to their mother, perhaps a beast had gotten to her, and they were… suffering from grief.

A very, very powerful grief.

"If you heard her calling for you, she might be on the main path to Rocket Town. I can show you where that is," she offered.

The three nodded, smiling at her. Elanor smiled back, though it wasn't quite as natural. There was something wrong with this situation, though she didn't know what. Disturbed by what her instincts were telling her, Elanor Strife led the three boys back out of the cave and to the main path, only half listening to their whispered conversation.

"If Mother… ever find her?"

"We need to free…have her …-enge."

"Who could be…ful… her?"

The rest of the conversation was lost as the wind began to whistle through the cave as they approached the entrance. Winter was coming on strong this year, and already the weather was showing signs of early winter storms. Many of the peaks had more snowfall than usual already.

Most monsters in this area weren't very aggressive, so Elanor never had trouble before with them unless a real predator showed up. However, the three boys seemed to find every monster in the area—either that, or they drew them.

Unfortunately, they also seemed a little trigger happy, and every monster was game for the middle boy with the gun, and if it got too close, the strongest one with a solid punch. Whatever strange thing was on his arm seemed capable of electrifying the beasts, and Elanor tried not to think about where he'd gotten it. She didn't like weapons and fighting, and seeing the boys fighting like this only made her think of her own son, probably doing something similar, she thought sadly. Shaking her head, she decided she would feel much better after a cup of hot tea in her home and a little more clarity.

"Well then, this route we'll take goes pretty much straight to the main path." So saying, Elanor led them around the outside of the mountain, being careful to avoid the slippery sections. As they rounded the final corner, passing between two boulders, Elanor showed them where the path continued up the mountain, explaining that they would circle up the mountain while she circled down, before their path rejoined the main one cutting through the forest.

She wasn't sure how to say goodbye, but it didn't seem to matter as the eldest boy spotted a lone fiend and raced after it, followed by a single gunshot from the one with the longest hair.

Deciding to remain where she was, she cheerily waved at their disappearing facades, and hoped she had done the right thing.

The rest of the way down was familiar ground to her, so it was simply a matter of paying attention to wear the ice was and keeping an eye out of monsters. Though they grew fewer and fewer in number the closer to the village, most of the predators in the Nibel Mountains were nothing to scoff at.

As she came around the bend that would put the famous Nibel Forest into view, Elanor saw the black smoke trailing into the sky. Like a huge funnel, it cut a wide line in the usually spectacular scenery, and it started right where Nibelheim would be.

Horrified that a fire had broken out, Elanor rushed around the curve and in her hurry missed the patch of black ice. Her feet slid out from under her, and with a shriek Elanor Strife was falling.

* * *

With the exam in full swing, Reeve had exactly the same amount of useless paperwork, and no redhead to talk to. In order to slow the inevitable melting of his brain, the head of Urban Development headed back up to the old attic, deciding to maybe take Cait Sith on a run. It had been a long time since he'd pulled out the old cat and moogle. He had used it briefly to assist Turk missions, but after it was damaged and then building the moogle for it, Cait Sith had been left to gather dust.

There had been the option of using it for reconnaissance missions, but somehow it had never panned out. Now, as Reeve gently took the robotic cat out of the box, he thought he might have an idea of where to send it.

There was a certain Don in the slums Reeve had spoken of with Reno, and despite his connections with Shinra's higher-ups, there was a very good chance he was also related to AVALANCHE. After all, the small terrorist group was well known below the plate, and Corneo had control over most of the resources down there.

Setting up the moogle and reactivating Cait Sith, Reeve input the correct program and sent the robotic cat off, who was bellowing orders to the moogle through his megaphone. It was slightly nostalgic to see Cait Sith running again.

Sighing, Reeve glanced at his watch and then around the attic. Go back to work, or head home early?

Heading back to his desk, he sat down for maybe forty-five minutes before feed started up from Cait Sith. Keeping the window open on his computer, he watched the cat's progress through the slums, offering fortunes occasionally, but mostly pretending to be junk by sitting in alleyways near housing.

As the cat passed through Sector 7, Reeve remembered the "Flower Girl" Reno had briefly spoken of. His interest in the health of the Planet had always sat on the backburner in Shinra, where no one could have cared less, but this caught his personal attention.

Glancing at the clock, Reeve took one look at the pile of paperwork for the day and decided it just wasn't worth it. Closing up, he headed out for the train station.

* * *

"It doesn't hold water."

"_What?_"

"Cloud's story," Sephiroth said, his voice lacking some of his usual patience.

"Sephiroth," Zack sputtered, "Cloud's totally traumatized by it, and we went and made him tell us anyway." Zack had a rather pouty look on his face, but it belied the seriousness of the conversation.

"It doesn't explain anything. In fact, it's not even related to his swordsmanship. If it's even true."

Zack had been innocently enjoying his lunch in Sephiroth's office when the preoccupied General had blurted out his suspicions. It was the first time they had really discussed it since Cloud's impromptu revelation the previous day; and Zack really wasn't in the mood for this conversation now. Cloud had been _experimented _on by _Hojo_. Zack was still in shock over it.

"Oh come on Sephiroth, let's not push him. Just leave him alone for now," he said tiredly. He'd spent all night thinking about it, and the last thing he wanted to hear was more discussion on it. He'd trust Cloud to tell him the whole truth when he was comfortable.

Sephiroth still had a rather moody aura that told Zack this was far from over, and Zack didn't like where the conversation was leading. Sephiroth now seemed more fixated, if possible, on Cloud's bizarreness than before. He'd been distracted all yesterday and this morning, barely maintaining a veil of normalcy.

"What could be so vital to hide that he would disclose something like that—_experimentation_," the General spat with vitriol staring hard at his desk, "rather than tell us about his training."

Zack put down his pasta bowl from the cafeteria and gave Sephiroth a hard look.

"Seph, maybe it's simpler than that. Maybe Cloud was trained while he was… you know."

"No." Sephiroth shook his head, looking back up at Zack, eyes intense. "If Hojo was the head of the project, and Cloud was being trained at the same time, then the intention was clearly to make another weapon."

Zack winced at the term Sephiroth used so disparagingly, but he'd never really been able to completely eradicate Sephiroth's idea that he was built solely to be the greatest SOLDIER there was.

Sephiroth continued on oblivious or ignoring Zack's discomfort. "But Hojo's never indicated anything like that. In fact, he's never taken notice of Cloud before. Hojo is not the type to let something slip out of his fingers. And why would Cloud enter SOLDIER knowing he'd have to suffer mako showers and be put back under Hojo's thumb? It doesn't make sense."

Zack really did not like this now. Sephiroth was getting into dangerous territory. The kid had looked awful the second he'd told them, and Zack had felt a pang of guilt, even though he'd still rather know.

"Seph, you're practically obsessing over him, and I think it's because of whatever happened before this. At the end of the exam. Remember? You were acting _really_ funny, and I knew something was up."

It was a low blow, and the look Sephiroth shot him was angrier than Zack expected. "You don't think I'm capable of considering things objectively?"

"Oh, come on Seph," Zack said again, frustrated now with Sephiroth's unwavering hounding of the subject. Sephiroth had been wound tight for days now, and Cloud's issues just seemed to be piling on top. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Zackary, you implied as much."

"No look, I'm saying you should take a break from thinking about Cloud and, you know, consider yourself."

"Perhaps you should do the same then."

Zack sat up in his chair at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You are blinded by your affection for Cloud. I have been considering Cloud's sword techniques, and there's no denying his familiarity with the buster sword." Sephiroth was leaning back in his chair now, his voice like ice. "There are not many places he could have learned that."

"What do you mean blinded? I care about Cloud, and I'm just considering his feelings in this. He's not just a puzzle you know." Indignation was ripe in Zack's voice. He didn't take kindly to people talking badly about his friends, and he had certainly never expected it from Sephiroth.

Sephiroth was looking straight at him. "I'm well aware of that, Zack. However, what he withholds could be dangerous. At the very least experimentation means he could have an adverse reaction to mako, latent abilities, or a high potential for mutation. It's the risk factor I'm concerned with."

Zack cut in before Sephiroth could finish. "Well I'm concerned with Cloud's mental health."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed at the interruption. "You are attempting to protect him when he doesn't need it—_blinded_ as I said." Then Sephiroth continued on before Zack could get another word in. "That he hides his training may imply he has dangerous abilities, or an attempt to hide from or protect something. Both are things that it is imperative I know for the safety of everyone else."

"Well I haven't seen anything of the sort, Seph. And I haven't done any training with him with the buster sword yet," Zack pointed out.

"It's not you I'm thinking of," Sephiroth replied sharply, "There are others trained in the use of buster swords." There was a tiny pause, barely a breath. "Like Angeal."

He'd said it. Zack's expression tightened instantly, and he stood up from his seat.

"Angeal is dead, Sephiroth. There's no way he could have taught Cloud. No. Way."

Zack's outrage at the General's suggestion didn't faze him one bit. "Actually, it's perfectly plausible. There's a sizeable gap of time between Angeal's defection and his death."

"No."

That was the last word. Zack turned on his heel and left, heading down the hallway and into the elevator without a glance back.

* * *

The exam was over, and Reeve was actually looking forward to seeing Reno again. He hadn't quite realized what a welcome distraction these chats with him were.

Breathing in the mildly fresher air up on the roof, he leaned his head back just as he heard the slamming of the metal door to the roof.

"Tuesti," Reno said as a greeting, slouching over to him. As Reeve turned around he wasn't surprised to see Reno wearing the telltale Turk suit, though he'd taken liberties with the strict dress code. The white button up shirt was left untucked, the pants sagging a little lower on his hips than regulation, and the blue jacket slightly wrinkled and open. He wasn't undamaged from the exam though. The shine of a bruise on his left cheek was still there, and he didn't slouch quite as gracefully as usually did. Somehow Reno still carried his usual air though, despite the new outfit and bruises.

"Ah, Reno. Congratulations on joining the, hmm, Department of Administrative Research," Reeve muffled a laugh.

"Laugh it up Tuesti, but you and I both know that ain't what they do at all."

The overbearing accent made this even funnier to Reeve, but he smothered his outward amusement so as not to offend the prickly teen.

"Well, from what I've heard of the exams they were quite successful, though the General is as stressed as always."

Reno lit up a cigarette behind him, taking a drag before exhaling slowly. Reeve put his back to the edge of the railing on the roof to really look at the redhead.

"Well, that's nothing new. I was hoping to dig up more on him since I got new _clearance_," Reno managed to sneer as he said it, clearly believing his hacking skills made such clearance unnecessary, "but his info's locked up tight."

Reeve shrugged, playing it cool. "I'm not surprised."

Reno looked back up at the sky, and Reeve waited patiently for him to speak. Generally they traded off on who offered up information first. Reeve had no qualms about what this was—it was downright tame compared to many of the things high-ranking members of Shinra did.

Reno though was either hesitant, didn't have anything, or was weighing his options, Reeve couldn't tell which. Reno was still very much naïve in the much of the ways Shinra functioned behind closed doors, but Reeve knew as a member of the Turks that would change. It would also make him a valuable ally. For what, Reeve didn't know, but he feared Shinra could not continue on forever, and it was only a matter of time before something caused it all to come down.

"Alright, you know Veld?"

"Of course," Reeve replied immediately. Leader of the Turks, Veld, or Verdot as some people called him.

"Well, I overheard something in the office," the way Reno said it made _the office _sound like a torture chamber. It most likely was to him. "They think he might be connected to AVALANCHE."

Reeve's eyebrows shot up. He had met Verdot on a handful of occasions, and the man fit his job to a T. That he might even be suspected to be passing information to the other side was big. He was in charge of the Turks—that meant he had serious confidential information at his fingertips, and he was in control of much of the information-gathering resources Shinra had.

"That's a serious accusation," was all Reeve said, but his mind was thinking through was this could mean.

"Yeah, guy's only head of the Turks," Reno remarked sarcastically, echoing Reeve's thoughts.

Reno went back to brooding over his cigarette, and Reeve couldn't help but ask what was bothering the boy. Perhaps the Turk training was more than he could handle?

"It's nothing," Reno responding, putting out his lit butt on the railing of the roof, "Just something that don't make no sense."

He didn't elaborate, and Reeve didn't ask.

There was another odd lull in the conversation. Reno seemed quite preoccupied, and Reeve was continued to enjoy the open sky for a while, remembering briefly that ray of sunshine in Aeris' church. That conversation with her had been enlightening.

A chilly breeze swept by reminding him he was on the roof of Shinra Headquarters in December without even a scarf.

"Well, if we're on the subject of informants, you may not have heard this tidbit from a couple months back. Only upper-echelon Shinra and all that."

Reno noticeably perked up, and Reeve suppressed a smile.

"Ever heard of Lazard Deusericus?"

"What the hell kinda last name is that?" Reno scoffed, but he turned to face Reeve more fully.

"He was the union executive for SOLDIER—sort of like the manager of SOLDIER without actually being _in_ the army."

"Sounds like a pansy."

"He was not a fighter, but he was a brilliant man." Reeve recalled many a conversation about the slums with Lazard. Though not working closely together for the most part, Lazard felt strongly about the poverty in the slums, and it showed in subtle ways. What had happened to him was perhaps the strangest part of all this.

"You may recall a drug scandal with one of the cadet barracks."

Reno had a lot of curses to offer, especially for Tseng, concerning the drug scandal. Reeve hadn't quite realized it was _Reno's_ bunker that had gotten into trouble, but it was all the funnier—and ironic—for it.

"Was that you? It caused uproar within much of the military branches since the drugs were laced with mako. Other than the Science Department only SOLDIERs have that kind of access to open mako," Reeve smiled at Reno's brief pout.

"Well, that incident led to an investigation of the Science Department since no one confessed to where they mako came from. Lazard, who it's suspected now was meeting or at least funneling information outside Shinra, fled. They rounded up one of his spies from the department, but no one knows where's he's gone."

Reeve looked away from Reno and back up to the night sky, tucking his hands into the pockets of his coat more securely to ward off the chill. He hadn't been surprised by Lazard's sympathies, since he'd been peripherally aware of them, but there was more that didn't seem to make sense.

"Who was he giving the information to?"

"Another defector from Shinra; a scientist. No one's sure what he wanted to accomplish by that though." Reeve had always thought Lazard might be in league with AVALANCHE, or at least sensitive to their cause, but _Hollander_ had been totally out of left field for him.

"People defect often from Shinra?" Reno asked, looking quite curious.

"There's been a number, more after the war. Of course for every one who defects there's three people who want his job."

Finally the cold drove them back inside the headquarters, where they parted ways with little more than a nod, both brooding on what they'd learned.

* * *

Sephiroth rubbed his eyes tiredly, leaning one elbow on his desk. He'd tried to forget what he'd stumbled on in Hojo's files by analyzing Cloud's story to death and back, but all he'd come up with were more loose ends and more things that didn't make any sense.

It didn't help of course that he had a meeting with Hojo tomorrow that did not promise to go well. He'd avoided the last appointment because of the exam, and now he had Hojo's… _deception_ at the back of his thoughts. He still hadn't determined if he would confront the professor or not about it.

It was at that moment that there was a timid knock on his door. Sephiroth straightened, knowing Zack wouldn't even bother to knock—or speak to him now considering how he'd handled that last conversation without any tact whatsoever. Cloud just… frustrated Sephiroth, and he knew in retrospect Zack had been right on some level. He _was_ letting other things influence him about Cloud, namely Hojo.

He still thought that Zack's refusal to acknowledge Cloud's hidden agenda was unwise though.

"Sir?" A woman asked through the door, and Sephiroth recognized the voice as the army general's secretary.

"Enter."

The woman stepped in holding a file to her chest nervously. "Sir, this is a follow-up report from- from Nibelheim. It's marked urgent."

Sephiroth accepted the report from her, and she scurried out quickly shutting the door behind her.

Rubbing his eyes, Sephiroth considered waiting until tomorrow to read the report, but a glance at the rest of the paperwork he still hadn't gotten done, and the red-stamped URGENT on the front of this one told him otherwise.

Opening the folder he only briefly scanned the basic information about the area, stopping short though at the pictures clipped to the report on the next page.

The first was the remains of the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor, a pile of burnt metal and pipes still glowing the sickly green of refined mako. Reading the report thoroughly, it was clear someone had essentially ripped the place apart and blown it up, totally destroying it and most everything inside. The estimated time of the occurrence fit neatly into the parameters of the SOLDIER exam, as noted.

Sephiroth didn't let himself think beyond that yet. He flipped to the next page of the report and drew in another sharp breath. In bold letters on the top of the page was "Shinra Mansion", with a picture clipped to it of a burnt wreckage that bore no resemblance to the mansion Sephiroth vaguely remembered. Only the wrought-iron gate was familiar.

It was clear the same person had done this, and the report determined that they obviously bore a grudge against Shinra. Sephiroth knew though, almost instinctively, that this was a personal grudge against Hojo. Both of those places had been used for the scientist's experiments in the past, as Sephiroth knew well.

Getting up, Sephiroth opened up the boxes of debriefings from the cadets for the second examination, digging through until he found Cloud's. As he read through the notably vague record, he knew with certainty that this was Cloud's doing. The experimentation hadn't been a lie then, but there were still a lot of pieces missing.

Sephiroth returned to his seat, putting the report down by the two stark pictures. Hojo's involvement was very limited in all this, but it seemed Cloud took serious issue with him—or at least what he had done. The two sides didn't seem to match up, but Sephiroth was loath to bring attention to Cloud or Sephiroth's preoccupation with him. Not to mention he had other things to discuss with his… father.

Taking the reports with him, he gathered Cloud's debriefing from the first exam too and went back to his apartment. As he headed out he knew he would have to bring this up with Zack, much as he knew the other man would hate to hear it, and it would mean another meeting with Cloud. This one, he promised himself, he would not let personal feelings interfere with. He would have the truth from the blond.

* * *

There was probably no one as exhausted as Cloud these days. He'd barely been a SOLDIER for two weeks, and all he'd done was train with Zack, do conditioning with the other new SOLDIERS when he wasn't with Zack, eat and collapse on his bed and sleep.

Granted, most of this was self-inflicted. Cloud had gotten the sense from Zack that Sephiroth wasn't happy with him, and Cloud was just glad the General was inundated with the new SOLDIERs and paperwork missed during the exam. At least it gave him some chance to avoid him for now, and as long as he remained busy he could hopefully keep his luck up.

Reno though was determined, and after two near misses with each other, Cloud was bodily dragged out of his room at midnight by an irate, redheaded Turk.

"You better tell me what the hell is going on, Cloud. How did you know me as a Turk?"

They were behind one of the maintenance buildings by the backfields, and Cloud was acutely aware of how easily their voices could carry on the wind.

"It's complicated," Cloud mumbled, both trying to keep his voice down and because he didn't really know how to approach this. It was one thing with Vincent, but Reno was an entirely different person, and his reaction was likely to be explosive.

"So what," Reno said irritably, dropping to sit next to Cloud, "You a psychic or something? Or just a lucky guess? I don't know what you were going for trying to get my attention with that, but you got me here now."

Cloud paused for the barest second, then decided there wasn't any way to make this sound any less crazy. "I time traveled."

"You time traveled," Reno deadpanned.

"Yes. From nearly eight years after the SOLDIER Exam."

"Huh. And that's why you suddenly kick ass? 'Cause you were a big bad First before?" Reno didn't sound at all like he believed him, and when he mentioned being a First Class SOLDIER Cloud's shoulders slumped almost on their own accord.

Reno noticed unfortunately.

"What, you only made Second?" He snorted to himself.

"I failed the exam," Cloud said. "Then I did a bunch of missions with Zack as a trooper, before Hojo got us."

Reno paused and rubbed his cuffed sleeve under his chin. "You failed? And the crazy scientist guy got you?"

"Yeah."

"…You know I don't—"

"There's this creature called Jenova. It's what destroyed the Ancients, and I need to kill her before she… contaminates the world. That's why I ditched the second half of the test, since she was supposed to be in Nibelheim's reactor. She wasn't there though."

Reno stood up looking angry and a little scared. "I don't know what the hell you're on, but time travel's impossible, and a monster that'll destroy the world? Seriously?"

Cloud shot him a glare, his own fraying temper sparking. "You don't have to believe me, but how else do you think I knew about Tseng's guns? Or you becoming a Turk? Or about Sephiroth? I don't have time to dillydally"—the words brought a sudden sharp reminded of Tifa to his heart, but Cloud shoved it aside—"Jenova is out there and a threat. You're a friend, and an ally. I'll need you're help tracking down where she is."

"Why don't you just go to Sephiroth? Or Zack, huh?"

"I can't because they were both… dead." Cloud wasn't looking at Reno now, only half thinking about what to tell Reno. It never got easier it seemed, no matter how many times he told it.

"Dead?" Reno asked a little hollowly. "The General? Dead?"

The redhead slowly sat down again, noticing Cloud's demeanor.

"I didn't think it possible either, but Jenova… overcame him."

"And you beat her?" Reno found himself saying incredulously. He couldn't believe he was hearing this, but Cloud's face and body language were serious, and he knew that even if he didn't believe in time travel, it certainly made a weird kind of sense. After all, Reno himself had noticed Cloud's 180-degree turn in just days. He couldn't believe that had been months ago.

"Yeah. With help."

"That how Zack died? And you feel like you gotta save him?"

Cloud looked up then, shaking his head. "No, he died before. Because of me."

Reno had always known Cloud might have a little bit of a guilt complex—he'd seemed like the sort of guy to always take the blame. He certainly blamed himself for a lot of shit, but this took the cake.

"You're blaming yourself for something that hasn't happened yet?"

"It did happen." Cloud made eye contact this time when he looked up, and Reno could see what he'd seen before in only bare glimpses: pain, regret, determination. "And I won't let it happen again."

Reno still couldn't quite believe the time travel idea, but Cloud seemed set on destroying that monster, and apparently without any help from possibly the strongest people in the world. Reno just had to shake his head.

"Why hasn't that Jenova thing killed anyone yet? You'd think we'd have heard about something like that."

"Jenova was used for experimentation by Hojo. She… woke up I guess, and that's when things got bad. It's not supposed to happen for another five years, but something's changed."

"You mean from your… other time?" It sounded stupid even when he said it, but Cloud's serious nod made Reno refrain from comment. They continued to talk a bit about what Jenova was capable of and how Cloud inadvertently became the leader of an almost completely different AVALANCHE, until they realized both of them would have to be up for training tomorrow. Cloud with Zack, Reno with his new partner Rude.

Later, when he'd rolled into bed still wearing the white button-up shirt of his uniform, Reno thought about how crazy it was to hear Cloud talk about hunting down a monster capable of killing the General with a ragtag group of people. He didn't realize until he was almost asleep that he never once thought of not helping Cloud.


	31. Chapter 31

Writer's Note: (Sorry, yet another long writer's note.) So, I know some of you were disappointed with last chapter, but I hope this chapter is different, because _guess what!_ I watched Advent Children Complete, and it was AMAZING. There was so much extra footage and explanation for everything that I'll never watch regular AC again. I got so excited over it I wrote ten pages in one day and figured out the timeline for the next year in GD world. I hope this more Cloud-centric chapter with a little bit of Seph/Cloud slipping in (sorry the romance is so slow, but the plot is way more complicated than I imagined it would be when I first started) will help make up for my procrastinating. It's not the most action filled, but next chapter is Cloud's mako exam, so that'll be fun.

Something you should know about this chapter: I have knowingly made a divergence from canon (if you discount time travel and Reno). I thought this was more realistic, with maybe a little bias on my part. My inner fangirl much prefers this because it's Hojo, and Hojo doing _that_…ew. (You'll know what I'm talking about when you get there.)

I'd also like to say that my heart goes out to everyone in Japan. If you can, take the time and donate.

Much, much, much love as always to my beta Birddi, who stayed online until 3am with me putting up with my small insanities.

Edit: Thanks Billie21 for pointing out where Fanfiction(dot)net ate part of my sentence. I've corrected it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Thirty-One (04-11-11)**

Reno sat up in bed bleary-eyed, and rubbed his hands down his face. He swung himself out of bed, habitually ducking even though there was no top bunk, and shuffled to the bathroom.

He brushed his teeth and splashed some cold water on his face to wake him up before gathering his stuff together. As a Turk he got his own tiny apartment, better than his old place in the slums but still small. It had a working stove, which was awesome, but without a roommate it proved to be actually pretty lame. There was never anyone to talk to or bother, and it was eerie how quiet his neighbors were. If he'd known how awful it was to live alone like this he might not have-

The whole bizarre conversation with Cloud last night came back in a rush: time travel, some terrifying monster of Hojo's, dead General and SOLDIERs, and a lot of other crazy stuff that made no sense.

Planet, he must have drunk a lot more than he thought.

It had only been two shots when he'd realized he could look up Cloud's new bunker in the database and go drill him for answers, but there must have been some more drinks in there somewhere because his memory had to be a little foggy. Time travel. Like, going back in time to when you're younger to change things. That kind of time travel. The kind that's _impossible._

Reno shook his head, wondering if he'd been high and drunk at the same time, or if Cloud was, or if Cloud had really jumped off the deep end for good. He stared into the mirror for a couple seconds, wondering a little how he would look five or six years from now, a seasoned Turk, and what Cloud might look like. Maybe the blond would be a little taller.

Nah.

Reno snorted and stumbled back into his bedroom when he realized his bedside clock said he needed to be in a meeting with Rude in five minutes.

Pushing any discomforting thoughts of Cloud and time travel, the redhead hurried to pull his clothes on from where they were messily piled in a draw. He knew you were _supposed_ to hang suits, but he couldn't be bothered to get hangers or press his pants or anything. He'd look like Tseng if he did 'd already lost two buttons, anyways.

Reno snickered to himself, then ran a comb briefly through the tangled mess of red head and pulled it back in a ponytail.

He wondered briefly though, as he locked the door behind him, if he'd make a good Turk. The thought was immediately followed by _I should ask Cloud_, before he pushed it back. There was no way Cloud was serious. People didn't time travel. They just didn't.

* * *

Hojo was waiting for him in the examination room.

"Well, you've finally made it have you? I'm afraid this will have to be an extended visit since you missed the last one." The way the scientist eyed the General over his glasses was the only sign of his annoyance.

Sephiroth stiffly took a seat on the table as Hojo prepped a needle nearby. He loathed these examinations and Hojo more than anything else in Shinra. Hojo was the only one that ever really inspired… fear in him. Sephiroth hated it, but he couldn't seem to fight it, and so every trip down here was a test of will.

Rolling up his sleeves, Sephiroth didn't give Hojo the pleasure of looking away as the needle was inserted, bearing with the sickening sensation of his skin crawling as he drew blood. He tried not to tense up, knowing it would make it worse when he withdrew the needle.

"Now, it's the same formula as last time, but I've had to double the dosage so effects may be more severe. I'd prefer to keep you here until all symptoms have stabilized and you can be monitored most efficiently."

Sephiroth didn't answer, knowing that Hojo had every intention of holding him anyway. He wanted to ask what had been bothering him for over a week now, before the appointment got under way. One look at Hojo's hunched form though, scribbling notes on a clipboard before looking up at him with that same mildly curious look he gave every one of his specimens—human or not—made Sephiroth's mouth clamp shut. He was angry with himself for the unwarranted cowardice, but couldn't seem to muster it up, and so he turned away trying to keep a deliberately stoic look on his face.

There was a handful more tests and questions before Hojo finally pulled out the cold case, which held the specialized mako for Sephiroth. The sickly green substance always called up a slightly nauseous feeling in the General, but he tamped it down.

The question resurfaced though as he saw the mako; Hojo handling it with more care than he gave anything else. It wasn't like Sephiroth to hesitate like this, but this was not something he'd ever done before, and the rare occasions he'd angered Hojo stuck out in his mind. Hojo could bear a grudge, and he was well capable of making Sephiroth pay for it later—in the lab. Still, this was something that needed to be said.

Sephiroth breathed in and out, calming himself. It was best to be direct with Hojo, he knew, so he turned to face the scientist who was jotting something down on the same clipboard.

"You are not my father."

There, he'd said it. Sephiroth wasn't able to relax though, watching Hojo as carefully as possible for any visible reaction.

Hojo didn't even look up. He was, for all intents and purposes, completely nonchalant. "Hm?"

"I checked the database," Sephiroth said quickly, a little faster than he meant to. "There's an anonymous file with a parental DNA match to myself—male. It is not yours."

It was exactly what he had found. In his search for Cloud's files he'd gone deep into Hojo's database of human experimentation in Nibelheim. What had surprisingly come up was his name. Though Sephiroth did not know the details, he knew his early years had been spent in Nibelheim before he was moved to Midgar. He was still hoping to do a little more digging concerning a certain new blond SOLDIER who was also from Nibelheim.

The file had a DNA string with information indicating it as his father, though the person remained unidentified. Because there was no name and no medical history attached it was clear this was not Hojo's DNA, which meant he was not Sephiroth's father as he'd been led to believe.

Hojo turned to look at him, holding one ready needle in his hand, and three more waiting still in the case. The fluorescent lights made it impossible to see his eyes as they reflected off the lenses.

"No, of course not. I do not have the time to worry about the emotional pandering required when inseminating a fertile woman. There are plenty of easy specimens to find if I need it." The scientist seemed completely unbothered by this revelation, and put the needle in his hand filled with glowing mako down on the tray beside him.

"I was told you were my father as a child." He kept his voice deliberately calm, but this was what particularly angered Sephiroth. The blatant lie had caused him a lot of mental anguish as a child, who had struggled to understand why his "father" did what he did to him.

"Proper psychological development is imperative in early childhood. Familial relationships offer substantial benefits to psychological stability and growth. As the primary caregiver in your sensorimotor and preoperational stages, it was only logical."

Hojo continued to ignore him as Sephiroth heard the monitoring machine begin to beep more quickly as he blood pressure went up. Even though a part of him was relieved it was true he was not related to this madman, it opened up an entire series of questions regarding his parentage and how Hojo had gotten a hold of him. This along with twenty-six years of ignorance made his anger potent.

The first needle was administered while Sephiroth absorbed what Hojo was telling him and all the implications of it. He hardly even felt it. As Hojo checked the monitors for a reaction, the scientist commented calmly, "It is ill-advised to steal Lieutenant-General Zackary Fair's computer to hack into my files, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth was not surprised Hojo was aware he'd been there. The man was completely paranoid, lending to his enlarged sense of omniscience. Still, it was a slap in the face, and Sephiroth managed to calm himself a little, knowing that even though he was the General of SOLDIER, murdering Hojo would bear terrible consequences. He was fairly sure he entertained the idea every time he came here though.

The nasty turn of the General's thoughts were disrupted as another needle broke the skin, and he began to feel the first waves of the concentrated mako. The effect wasn't too strong yet though, and Sephiroth was determined to get some answers at least, regretting that he had waited so long.

"Who was my father then?" He asked, turning to look at Hojo, his eyesight even sharper than normal thanks to the extra mako in his system.

Hojo prepped the next needle, looking at the monitor again. He paused for just the briefest of seconds, perhaps remembering his father, before he said in a bland voice:

"A man of little significance other than his sperm."

* * *

Three days later, Cloud stood in the SOLDIER showers rinsing off a day's worth of sweat, dust, and metal shavings. The training in SOLDIER was much more intensive, mostly because they didn't have lecture classes to give them breaks, and also because this was the eight new SOLDIERs' probation period.

Though technically in the SOLDIER program, they were on probation for one month—essentially barring them from missions—because they hadn't been given a mako injection yet. That would forever designate them as true members of SOLDIER. Cloud was dreading it.

The delay was for several reasons. Mainly it was to complete full physicals all the new SOLDIERs were required to have, and to determine which troop they would join. Each squadron of Thirds was led by a Second, and each troop had a general emphasis, whether it was magic, long-distance combat, or otherwise.

But first, as everyone was constantly reminded, were the injections. Though they'd passed the initial test, Cloud was well aware there was a significant difference between a chest swab and a needle.

Cloud shampooed his hair furiously, ridding himself of any thought of the impending mako exam. He had a month to prepare himself mentally for it, and he promised himself he would be ready.

After rinsing and dressing, he headed out of the showers hoping to catch something to eat before collapsing on his bunk. His plans were derailed though by the sight of the General waiting in the hallway outside.

"Strife."

Cloud snapped a salute as the other boys all looked rather curious but smart enough not to ask. John brushed past Cloud reassuringly as the others all left them for dinner.

"Come with me."

Sephiroth led him down the hallway in the opposite direction from the dining hall and barracks, silver hair swinging slowly from side to side. Cloud tried to remain calm, trying in vain to keep from jumping to conclusions. Sephiroth wasn't dressed to fight, though he was wearing his leather pants and boots, but the office shirt said this wouldn't be violent. That could only mean interrogation—that, Cloud knew, was even worse.

They left the building and moved towards the gymnasium specially built for the SOLDIER Firsts. Sephiroth swiped his card through the scanner and opened the door, not even looking back as he headed inside. Cloud embarrassingly considered the idea of bolting, but one look at the imposing General said that was a bad idea.

Cloud had only been in this building with Zack that once—when they'd tricked him into a fight—so he was quite surprised when Sephiroth led him into a white-walled room with bright windows and cushions piled in the corner.

He must have paused too long, because Sephiroth answered his silent query.

"It's a meditation room."

Cloud hadn't seen one since he'd last been in Wutai, and it was surprising to see one in Shinra.

"Oh."

"I hope it is clear that this is more informal." Sephiroth indicated the whole room with his hand then tossed Cloud a cushion, but didn't sit himself.

The blond carefully put the cushion on the floor but remained standing too, curious and wary.

"You know exactly what this is about," the General stated bluntly. "I hope we will be able to do this as two men. From one soldier to another."

He said it coolly, standing across from Cloud looking perfectly relaxed. The blond could feel how intensely he was being scrutinized though, and knew they were both equally on edge.

When Cloud only nodded but didn't say anything, Sephiroth started.

"Your swordplay is excellent, but you've been concealing it. I want to know why and who taught you."

One of Sephiroth's long bangs fluttered a little in his breath, the only movement in the still room. Cloud had, thanking his lucky stars, prepared a highly abbreviated version of events just in case of this. It didn't take away his nervousness though. The blond fought not to fidget under Sephiroth's stare, trying to draw on the calmness of the room and the strength he seemed to have had a lot more of before he time traveled.

"When I left Nibelheim to come join SOLDIER, I met a man. He used a buster sword and helped me out. Saved my life even." Cloud exhaled slowly, and didn't make eye contact. He thought of Zack he'd seen just last night at dinner, mussing his hair and calling him Spike. It was a painful reminder of the ghost of the same man leaning against the doorway of the church, walking away with Aeris. Walking away from him.

He shook his head and tried to relax, taking a deep breath, drawing it in and savoring it before exhaling out. Tifa had taught him that.

"He… died though. Shot."

"Who was he?" Sephiroth's deep voice seemed to hang in the air between them.

Cloud looked up, staring at the eyes that glowed even brighter than Zack's did. "I'd rather not say."

Sephiroth gave him an appraising look, clearly suspicious. "I'm aware of that." He paused for just a moment before speaking. "I will ask again: who was your teacher?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes a little, noting the slight tilt of Sephiroth's chin. They were both being stubborn about this, but Cloud had a lot more to lose than the General, and he wasn't just motivated by curiosity. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Sephiroth asked immediately.

"It's personal."

The General paused, seeming to think about his response. "I had hoped we might be able to set this to rest. Can you tell Zack even if you can't tell me?"

Cloud shook his head, knowing that telling either of them wasn't an option.

"Hm." They shared a brief stare, Cloud trying to convey nonverbally that there was no way Sephiroth was getting this out of him, and it seemed to get through, much to Cloud's surprise.

The General flicked one of his long bangs out of his face, managing somehow not to look haughty as he did. "I hope you know this isn't the end of the subject."

"I know," Cloud told him.

"I sincerely hope you trust Zack or I in the near future to tell us." Something about the way Sephiroth said it, told Cloud there was a threat in there. If he didn't tell, the General would find out some other way.

Cloud swallowed down the uncharacteristic smirk. Sephiroth could do all the research he wanted, but the only one's who knew of Zack's role were himself and Vincent, and no one knew the ex-Turk was even alive.

Sephiroth made eye contact again, and the narrowing of his eyes almost gave Cloud a chill. Almost. He managed to check himself lest the General's sharp eyes catch a sign of weakness.

"Why did you hide your abilities?"

This one was easier to answer. Cloud moved away from the door, considering how long this was probably going to take. They'd gotten through the hard stuff at least. "I didn't want to make waves. I—I've been bullied before, so I figured it was better to only show off for the exam."

"Despite the fact that it would have almost guaranteed a place in SOLDIER?" Sephiroth's tone was neutral, but there was plenty of doubt underlying it. Cloud couldn't really blame him.

"I was worried I would fail the medical test anyway. Nibelheim has a big reactor just outside it." Cloud shrugged, looking through the windows on the far wall. Sephiroth always seemed to look particularly ethereal when wreathed in sunlight. The blond shifted his gaze away back to the blank wall. "We've been…exposed to the radiation before. I had heard it makes us more…susceptible to it."

He looked back at the General, but Sephiroth's face didn't reveal any of his thoughts. Cloud didn't dare offer any more information than he was prompted, since he hoped to minimize the amount of information Sephiroth could get. One day he would tell him, one day. Long after Jenova was dead.

Sephiroth's gaze focused back on him. "I do not fully believe you, Strife."

Cloud hunched a little unconsciously, but otherwise didn't say anything.

"Your swordplay teacher still interests me," Sephiroth commented.

Cloud shifted his weight a bit, wondering how he could get out of this. Sephiroth let it drop once, but he wasn't liable to do it again. It wasn't like Cloud could tell him the truth, but he didn't want to make someone up because Sephiroth had all but said he would go hunting for information. Then he'd know Cloud lied, and that would just make things worse. "Why does it matter? He's dead," he half muttered to himself.

"It matters, Strife, because anyone outside Shinra with that kind of skill has to be accounted for. It is also related to your experience with Dr. Hojo." Despite Sephiroth's perfectly flat tone, Cloud could sense some emotion behind it, and his face tightened imperceptibly.

He knew Sephiroth's relationship with Hojo was more than a little complicated, but he wasn't entirely sure how Sephiroth felt about the man directly now. Did he hate him? Tolerate him? Grudgingly respect him? After the Nibelheim Incident things had been different. But well… everything had been different after that.

"I've told you about that already. I'd rather not speak of it." Cloud hoped this interview would be over soon. The way Sephiroth looked as he moved highlighted the color of his hair and made him look slightly inhuman—his face too perfect with those proud cheekbones and almost cat-like eyes.

"I too, was an experiment of Hojo's," he said almost stiffly, and if Cloud hadn't had such practice at maintaining a poker face his jaw would have dropped. "I am still in many ways."

Cloud shifted uncomfortably, unsure where this was going now. It was one thing if Sephiroth was looking for answers, but another if they were sharing confidences.

"Um…"

"I do not need to know details, but you are aware that by joining SOLDIER you will inevitably come into contact with Dr. Hojo at some point?"

Was Sephiroth…_concerned_ about him? Cloud felt his cheeks turn a bit red before he could help himself.

"Um, well, yes. But I don't think he'll recognize me." Cloud knew what he said was a mistake the moment he saw Sephiroth's eyes flick off to the right, his gaze more shuttered.

His voice somehow managed to be perfectly flat and yet still convey how tightly he spoke. "Were you quite young?"

Cloud hated to lie, but seventeen had still been childhood for him, because everything that came afterwards erased it.

"Yes."

They stood there stiffly in silence for some moments, both perhaps reflecting on those experiences. Cloud had never dreamed of any real kinship with Sephiroth, since the General had always seemed far worse off than he. Then again, Hojo's human experimentation was pretty much limited to Sephiroth, SOLDIER, which was on a broad basis, and Project S—the cloning Cloud had been a part of—which hadn't happened yet. Perhaps because of this…

Sephiroth spoke abruptly. "What I need to know is if there is any risk of mutation or side effects. Mako is…unpredictable."

It was a legitimate concern, and Cloud didn't really know. The Planet must have intervened to give him some resistance to mako's debilitating effects if he passed the initial test this time, so he could only hope that carried through.

"I…don't think so."

Sephiroth made eye contact again, his eyes sweeping over Cloud in one move. The blond felt himself begin to blush again, even though he knew there had been nothing sexual about it.

"You don't have any mako enhancement or glow, so I can assume there was no mako involved?"

Cloud swallowed uncomfortably. He felt quite embarrassed by his reaction, and his eyes drifted to Sephiroth's loosely curled fingers, the broad shoulders more visible now under his white collared shirt, and the form-fitting leather pants that made him appear so tall and well, powerful.

Cloud winced when he realized his train of thought.

"Maybe I should go, sir."

Sephiroth seemed to gather himself from that strange moment that had overtaken them with the talk of their experiences with Hojo. "I would prefer you stay another moment. The identity of your teacher is still important to me. Why are you protecting him?"

Cloud paused, momentarily unsure what to say. "I—I'm not protecting anyone."

"You refuse to tell me his name. If there were no threat upon him, it would be no matter."

"Well, he was a highly personal person, and I…" Cloud didn't know what to say, and the garbled lie only seemed to give him away.

Sephiroth didn't appear any different, but Cloud had a feeling something had changed when the General said nothing else about it.

"I would ask that you keep no more secrets from Zack or I, but I have a feeling you won't." Cloud fought the reddening of his cheeks. "I only ask that you keep an open dialogue with us, and following your mako injection I want you to seek out one of us so we can be sure you are alright."

Cloud nodded his head, looking away at the mention of the injection. He hoped it would get easier with time, because the idea of having a mako injection every couple of months hanging over his head would ruin SOLDIER.

"Cloud," Sephiroth's hand paused in the air for a moment before landing on his shoulder. "This is for physical reasons as much as it is for… psychological ones."

The blond consciously didn't stiffen his shoulder at the touch, amazed at Sephiroth's attempt to comfort him.

"…Thank you, sir."

Sephiroth's hand slipped away after a moment. "I wish to observe some of your practices with Zack, and perhaps spar again with you. Is that all right?"

Cloud felt a rush of excitement and nervousness at that. "I'd be honored, sir," he managed, his stomach twisting strangely. He'd come in here ready to walk on eggshells the whole conversation, and somehow he'd left with a sparing invitation.

"Um, well, I'd better go before curfew then."

"Yes," Sephiroth said, almost too quickly. "I hope you know I intend to speak with Zack about what we spoke of."

Cloud nodded his head, feeling strangely pulled in two directions. He wanted to escape to think about everything that had happened, but he also wanted to stay because this was the longest he'd _ever_ spoken to Sephiroth.

"That's okay, I figured. Thanks, uh, sir."

"Sephiroth," the General said softly.

"…Sephiroth," Cloud echoed, his whole body feeling rather numb.

* * *

Sephiroth remained in the meditation room after Cloud left. He pulled his boots off and sat down on the cushion in the middle of the room, wanting to think about their exchange.

He knew he could have gotten the answers he'd wanted with a little leverage. He had come into this prepared to tell Cloud he knew about his actions in Nibelheim, but somehow the despondent, tired voice of a young soldier made it more difficult. Sephiroth hadn't thought at all before he'd admitted what he was to Hojo, and what he'd learned of Cloud from that had cinched it.

The General decided he would keep what he knew close to the chest, and see how things played out. Other than Cloud, he was certain only he knew of the blond's involvement in the Nibelheim disasters, and he had not told even Zack.

Breathing in and out, he recounted the whole conversation, memorizing as much as he could. His assumption about Angeal seemed to be proven right by what Cloud had said. His mentor was dead, had saved his life even, and had wielded a buster sword. Cloud may or may have lied about the manner of death, or he was misinformed, but either way the evidence was still mounting. Cloud had joined the cadet program before Angeal's death, but then there had been the open attack on Midgar by Hollander's forces in April. Genesis and Angeal were both very visible during it. Sephiroth had little doubt Cloud had known of Angeal's wanted status after that, if he hadn't known before.

As he thought back to Cloud's reaction to mention of the mako injections and Hojo, Sephiroth was a little surprised by Cloud's lack of fear of being recognized. As Sephiroth envisioned the blond in his head again, with broad shoulders, a well-sculpted face with a hint of baby fat, the things that jumped out of course were his bright blue eyes and his… spiky yellow hair. How did Cloud expect Hojo not to recognize that?

Frankly, he didn't seem to fear Hojo as much as he did the examination itself, which was curious. Was it because he'd successfully attacked two of Hojo's early strongholds without punishment? Or was the hairstyle something new? Sephiroth had been under the impression it was natural, considering how it moved when he moved and looked quite soft…

Sephiroth blinked, realizing his thoughts were trailing off into dangerous territory. Breathing in and out again, he willed himself to think of nothing for the next half an hour before he headed home and overanalyzed everything said just like he always did.

* * *

Vincent Valentine had excelled as a Turk, but that had been twenty-five years ago. The world had changed quite a bit since Vincent had last had to do any investigating.

Despite the difficulties of adapting, within a couple of weeks he was ready to stop haunting Rocket Town and assist Cloud on his quest for information concerning Jenova. While the blond's goal was to ultimately destroy the monster—and Vincent wholeheartedly agreed with this—the ex-Turk had a more personal revenge in mind too: Hojo.

And where Jenova was, Hojo would not be far behind.

Vincent's search took him first to Costa del Sol, a rambunctious seaside town that boasted quite a number of wealthy homes and beach houses. It was easy to pick up information about Shinra's recent economic acquisitions and pursuits, but little about the Science Department or SOLDIER was to be heard.

After some deliberation, Vincent decided Icicle Inn would be the first lab to check outside Midgar. When he had been assigned to Hojo, there had only been a handful of labs, mostly located in remote areas or reactors. Icicle Inn had one of the oldest, including Professor's Gast's research notes if Hojo had not destroyed them, so it made sense to check there first.

The boat ride over was uneventful, and the ex-Turk took a circuitous route to Icicle Inn, trying to avoid any attention from the people in the area. Bone Village was still the same depressing hovel Vincent had heard of, and he didn't stay long considering how remote the village was. It was not until he passed through the Forgotten City, an area generally avoided by the populace, that he noticed some oddities.

"The trees…" he murmured, examining the shattered remains of one of the Forgotten City's iconic crystallized trees. It would take a lot of force to shatter them like this, and there were more signs indicating something had happened here.

As Vincent walked through the trees on one of the few paths in the forest, he saw the signs of fighting: broken earth, bullets, snapped branches, scuff marks and more broken trees.

The center of the Forgotten City had a lake and a strange spiraling structure, all part of the remains of the ancient city. Checking the inside did not reveal anything of note, but more signs of recent activity showed up. A campfire had been made in one spot not far from the lake, and more trees had been disturbed here.

Curious, but not perhaps related to Jenova's disappearance. Vincent filed it away as he had been trained to do, so that the pieces might fix together later.

* * *

"Hey Cloud, I wanted to ask you something."

Zack propped Galatine against the bench as he took a swig from his canteen. Cloud sitting beside him did the same before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Sure," the blond said after a moment. He was still panting a bit after their hard workout. Cloud had expressed real interest in learning the buster sword, and Zack had been more than happy to teach, though he couldn't deny the mild suspicion Sephiroth was already harboring.

Cloud was _good_, make no mistake, and Zack had been able to run through the basics a lot faster than he expected. Now that Cloud wasn't holding back anymore it made the sessions a lot more fun. He hoped what he had to say didn't kill the mood though.

"Seph told me what you and him talked about a couple days ago," Zack said a little uneasily. Sephiroth had seemed a lot calmer after talking to Cloud, and Zack felt like he was a little out of the loop. Something had changed between them.

"Oh," was all Cloud said, taking another drink from his canteen.

"I just wanted to ask if there was, well, anything you wanted to say to me that you didn't, you know, want to say then."

It sounded awkward even to Zack's ears, but he was genuinely worried about Cloud, and he knew the blond had a small crush on Sephiroth—who didn't at his age? Sephiroth could be intimidating though and hard to talk to, so Zack hoped between himself and Sephiroth Cloud would have someone to share everything with.

The blond didn't look at him, just back at his canteen like it might help him escape the situation. Zack felt a little guilty for doing that to his friend, but he knew if he didn't push, Cloud might not say anything.

"There's nothing."

Zack couldn't suppress the mild pang of disappointment. "Okay. You know I'm here anytime." He paused for a second to think of another topic, before remembering why Cloud had been a bit delayed for their session. "Did you get your appointment for the injection?"

"Yeah. It's the Tuesday after next, 0730." Cloud looked so glum Zack just reached over and slung an arm around his shoulder drawing him in before he even really thought about it.

"I know it sucks Spike, but the first one's the worst, and after that it's just routine."

Zack rubbed Cloud's hair, secretly loving when Cloud tried to duck out from under him out of embarrassment. He stopped though when he remembered what he really meant to ask. "Oh! Did you want me to be there and make sure you get back all right? Sometimes you can be really woozy afterwards."

Cloud looked a little embarrassed, and when he slumped a little more into Zack's chest, the SOLDIER First couldn't really help himself from rubbing those bright yellow spikes.

"Trust me, it'll be better than embarrassing yourself by undressing in the waiting room and sprinting through the Headquarters all the way to the showers." Zack smiled fondly at the memory, and it widened when Spike's blue eyes suddenly blinked up at him.

"What?"

"Yup. I made Second and no one could come get me, so I thought I'd make it home on my own. The dose was more than I expected though, and thankfully I don't remember much." Zack laughed it off, feeling better inside as Cloud sat up more fully to appreciate the humor. "Trust me, it's worse when your buddies have to tell you what happened. Same thing applies to alcohol."

"I thought SOLDIERs couldn't get drunk?" Cloud's strange expression vanished after a moment.

"Where'd you hear that? Sure we can, just gets harder the more mako you have. Seph would be sober even if he drank a whole bar's worth of liquor."

The somewhat sad expression on Cloud's face made Zack hasten to fix it.

"It's not like he'd like getting drunk anyway. Seph's too much of a control freak like that."

Cloud's half smile said Zack didn't really fix it, but it was a good try.

They started the second half of the lesson, Cloud practicing a variety of new moves Zack had been teaching him. While Zack supervised, his mind kept drifting back to his conversation with Sephiroth the day before. The General had told him what he talked about with Cloud, and he'd made it clear that he believed more than ever Angeal had been the one to teach Cloud.

In an attempt to stifle the thoughts, Zack tried to think of something more fun to show Cloud when he realized he knew exactly what to teach the blond.

"Cloud, I want to teach you this awesome move. You know what a trump card is in cards?"

Cloud nodded. Of course he did, Zack thought with a smile, he was friends with Reno.

"Well, we sometimes call them Limit Breaks in SOLDIER. You kinda have to make up your own as you go along—play to your strengths and all that—but this one's the first one I learned with the buster sword. It's really simple, so anyone who's ever wielded a buster sword has learned it. It's called Braver. You can pretty much customize it all you want once you mastered the basic idea."

Cloud's open smile and interest made Zack grin back. This was something Angeal had taught him long ago, as a start off so he could make his own Limit Breaks. The move was quite simple but powerful, and his old mentor had taught it to him the second day he'd picked up the buster sword.

"Alright, you need to adjust your hands into a straight grip, since this is an overhead swing. In battle, if you want to deal a final, devastating blow, you leap back, and do a really high jump, high as you can, and slash downwards right on the ugly."

Zack demonstrated the overhead swing, watching as Cloud carefully hefted his buster sword over his head. Pulling it up like that took some practice because it was awkward with such a heavy weapon.

"Okay, the idea is that you lift the sword over your head as you jump up—momentum and all that—and as you come down you chop downwards. Just make sure you swing early enough to get the monster but not the ground. First time I did this I ended up gouging the floor and seriously dulling my blade."

Zack grinned again, remembering Angeal's stunned face as the First had been forced to use his mako-enhanced strength to wrench the sword from the floor.

Cloud started to practice the jump minus the sword under his direction, but wasn't able to get very high.

"Don't worry. When you have mako it'll make it a lot easier. If you put materia in your sword you can even add some magic to the hit, which'll do even _more_ damage!"

Cloud was able to do a perfectly arched swing in just a couple of tries, but by the end of the lesson he still couldn't jump high enough to get over anyone's head. Zack ruffled the blond's hair when he seemed disappointed, even pouting a little though Cloud would have been horrified if he realized.

As Cloud left to go shower off, Zack put Galatine away and headed up to Sephiroth's office. Zack didn't like to be jealous, but he couldn't seem to help himself. If Angeal had trained Cloud—which was looking more and more likely—then he should be… well, maybe not excited, but he shouldn't be upset with his deceased mentor, and definitely not Cloud. It certainly wasn't the blond's fault, and if Sephiroth was right, and Cloud was trying to protect Angeal, then well shit, did Cloud know of Angeal's death?

The elevator doors open as he realized the situation could be really messy. He was pretty sure Cloud also didn't know Angeal had mentored him too otherwise he would have mentioned it. Zack liked to think so at least. But that would mean he'd have to break it to Cloud what happened to Angeal… and who killed him.

"Hey Seph," he called as opened the door.

"Zack," Sephiroth greeted.

The First flopped into one of the chairs, but this time didn't try to put his boots on the desk. Sephiroth frowned at him, and set the folder he was working on aside.

Zack floundered for a second about where to start, then figured the beginning was best. "So, I had a lesson with Cloud today, and I asked him about your conversation on Tuesday. He didn't have anything to add, but I can tell he's really nervous about the mako injections. And I'm gonna pick him up from the labs that day."

Sephiroth nodded, but when Zack didn't go on he gave the stalling SOLDIER a look.

"I assume you didn't ride the elevator forty-five stories just to tell me that."

Zack had the grace to look a little sheepish. "Well, no. See, I taught him my old Limit Break—Braver—have you ever seen it?" Sephiroth's dry look said he didn't care if he had. "Okay, okay, so it's one Angeal taught me ages ago, right after I started the buster sword. Anyway, I'm pretty sure Cloud's already learned it before."

Sephiroth's face didn't outwardly change, but he subtlety leaned forward. "I thought that move required a jump."

"Well, it does," Zack added, "but you can do it without it, it just won't be as strong. The actual swing though is awkward—you know, over the head, straight down. Not the sort of thing you do normally in battle. But Cloud didn't even take a hair off his head."

Sephiroth sat back a little. "He didn't lodge the sword in the floor either, I presume?"

He delivered the line so flatly it took Zack a second to realize what he was referring to. "Hey! I had just started getting mako injections, and I was new to it!"

It was halfhearted, and Sephiroth seemed to sense that. Zack continued anyway, glad a little that Sephiroth had made the effort to lighten his mood. "Yeah. I definitely would have lobbed off some hair doing that, but Cloud was fine. He'd obviously done it before, though probably not with the jump since he couldn't get high enough."

Zack ran a hand through his hair. Normally he wasn't that great at admitting he was wrong, a flaw he was working on, but it seemed even harder with Sephiroth who was rarely wrong in anything but purely social matters.

"I think Angeal taught him."

Sephiroth looked quite grave, and Zack was thankful the man didn't rub it in his face, even though he knew it would not have been intentional. The General said quite seriously, "We may need to debrief him, considering he may have learned something regarding Hollander or Genesis while he was with Angeal."

Zack nodded hollowly. "Do you think he…knows about Angeal?"

Sephiroth rested his cheek in a gloved hand as he eyed Zack. "It's hard to say. Either he's guarding his mentor's memory or he believes him still alive somewhere."

"I gotta tell him then."

Sephiroth didn't say anything, and Zack knew he reluctantly agreed. Somehow the image of him and Cloud laughing over Angeal's personality quirks or teaching methods paled in the face of admitting what happened not even a year ago.

The General seemed to understand without being verbally told, and he changed the subject. "I expect Cloud will be put in a close-combat group. Heavy or light?"

Zack tipped his chair on its back two legs, happy to talk about anything else, his boot pushed against the edge of the desk as they came back to familiar territory. "I'd say light. He's kinda small," Zack half-smiled. Cloud would probably kill him if he heard that, "but he's tough. Maybe when he's more adjusted to mako and a little older he could do heavy. A buster sword's not really a light-armor weapon."

Sephiroth nodded. "There are eight stationed troops of Thirds in Midgar." Sephiroth pulled out a binder from one of his desk drawers and began to flip through it. "The only light-combat platoon is under Captain Kyle Harke."

"Huh, I don't know him."

Sephiroth glanced up. "He wields double daggers."

Zack paused for a second before it came back to him. "Oh wait! I saw him a couple weeks ago in a practice session," Zack said, recalling the slim, black-haired man who had some impressively fast footwork. For someone using short daggers though, that was a necessity. "He doesn't seem too bad."

Sephiroth shot him a look that said he'd already guessed Zack was going to scope out the guy before he let Cloud join his squad.

They discussed it some more, including Zack's regime for Cloud's training, before Sephiroth knew he had to kick Zack out. The First took the cue, and stood up before remembering something.

"One more thing," Zack said, already preparing a begging look even though he knew he wouldn't really need it. "I'm supposed to train with Cloud next Wednesday, but I've got my mako injection that morning, and I don't know what shape I'll be in."

Sephiroth sighed, but inwardly was quite excited at the prospect of sparring with Cloud again. He hadn't forgotten that Cloud had managed to knock his blade away and land a hit on him. No unenhanced, not even a _Second_, had done that before.

"Alright, Zack." Zack cheered, and Sephiroth knew he'd spend next week waiting for Wednesday.

* * *

Cloud rolled his shoulders and stretched out his sides, warming up for practice. These practices with Zack were thrilling but brutal. His arms and shoulders ached constantly, and the First seemed to really enjoy pushing him to the brink of his ability. Even though Zack believed he wasn't hiding anything about his swordplay anymore, it wasn't exactly true. He couldn't physically perform almost any of the moves he could before, and so he'd probably be rusty when it came to the more difficult forms, but he still _knew _them. When Zack had taught him Braver last week, Cloud had been nervous he might give something away, but was both relieved and disappointed when he couldn't even do the jump. It was one thing for him to know a simple Limit Break like Braver though; it was another to know more advanced things he couldn't have learned in a couple months of training.

The door behind him opened, and Cloud bounced on his feet a couple of times, warming up the muscles there. When he didn't hear any customary Zack-greeting, he turned around.

"G-General?" He hadn't meant to stutter, but Sephiroth in battle uniform was quite the sight, and it brought up mixed emotions. He looked good, no one could deny it, but it was also a similar outfit to what he'd worn in Nibelheim—and what his later incarnations always came back in.

"Cloud," Sephiroth said with a nod. "Zack had his mako treatment this morning, and asked me to stand in for him."

Cloud nodded mutely.

"I don't use the buster sword, so this won't be a lesson, just a spar." He sounded amused, and Cloud managed some noise of agreement before he dutifully picked up the buster sword he'd set aside earlier.

"Warm up with some katas, and then we'll begin."

He did as told, running through the steps of a basic kata modified for the buster sword, all the while aware of Sephiroth's eyes. The General circled him slowly as he warmed up, not making any corrections, only watching. It was unnerving, but Cloud was getting more used to his scrutiny, and was able to perform and keep half a mind on him at the same time.

"Good. We'll start with a freeform spar, just to see what you need to practice."

Cloud nodded, getting into a defensive position, the buster sword held in two hands before him. Sephiroth positioned himself fifteen feet away more casually, Masamune lying deceptively calm in his left hand; the tip almost touched the floor six feet away.

Cloud nodded to show he was ready, and Sephiroth immediately moved into range, swinging Masamune fast in a long sideswipe. Cloud easily parried, but the force of it made him take a step back. The blond didn't let this stop him though, and instead used his momentum to bring the buster sword from low to high, knocking against the lower end of Masamune. They stalled there for a second before Cloud leapt back and delivered another strike at the end of the sword. Unlike Cloud's previous battles with Sephiroth, it didn't have enough power to knock the sword to the side to open the General up, but Sephiroth seemed to approve by the tilt of his lips.

As the fight progressed, Cloud felt almost…_weird_. He was fighting _Sephiroth_, but there was no malice, no animosity as they fought. Every time he'd clashed blades with the General before, it had been with a torrent of emotion. It got stranger though as they remained on the ground, despite Cloud's instinct to jump into the air to avoid some of Sephiroth's moves. The blond couldn't remember the last time he'd fought any real opponent with both feet on the ground. Mako and magic made anti-gravity fighting very possible for the experienced enough, and it was a much more versatile style that Cloud preferred. Now, tied to the floor like this, fighting Masamune without those sickening hate-love-anger-remorse emotions, made the whole fight surreal.

Neither spoke as they fought, and even though Cloud was severely outmatched and easily out of breath long before Sephiroth ever broke a sweat, it was one of the most enjoyable times he'd had at Shinra since he'd come back. Sephiroth wasn't using any of his enhanced strength or speed, but he seemed to enjoy it too, if his partial smile after some hits was to go by.

Nearly ten minutes into the fight, Sephiroth called for a break and Cloud immediately flopped down on the bench, letting his breathing slow before he took a drink.

"You excel at compensating for varying blades, and you've deduced the pattern of the battle extremely quickly," Sephiroth complimented, and Cloud was infinitely glad he was already red-faced or his blush would have been prominent. He didn't think Sephiroth had ever genuinely praised him before.

Still holding Masamune, Sephiroth took a seat beside him on the bench as Cloud carefully sipped his water. A comfortable silence lingered between them as they both took advantage of the respite, even if Sephiroth didn't need it.

Cloud's eyes drifted to the long sword, the delicate appearance belying its obvious strength. He didn't actually know much about Masamune, despite having faced it innumerable times, and Sephiroth had always seemed to have it, especially after Jenova. Cloud remembered countless times he'd seen the crazed General leave it behind only for it to reappear with him. Did it have any magical properties?

"Who made Masamune?" He hadn't really meant to say it aloud, but he didn't regret it.

Sephiroth looked down at the sword and spoke after a long moment, his voice slightly deeper than usual. "There is a story of a great Wutain mage, who stole the blade from a great beast called Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh, it was said, was the greatest warrior of the summons, and forged the blade in the fires of the core of the Planet, and cooled it in the light of the moon."

Cloud watched with interest as Sephiroth lifted up the sword, examining the worn grip and the finely polished guard.

"From there I do not know what became of it. I was given it when I began swordplay, though I could not use it for many years. I have never wielded another sword since."

He looked at Cloud, but the blond's eyes were on the famous blade. He had been made to bleed with that blade, but in battle it had been mesmerizing nonetheless. The memories of those fights would never be forgotten, but in this moment the danger of the blade was outshined by a mutual appreciation of it. Quietly he asked, "Do you know what it's made of?"

"A form of Damascus. I've never let anyone really study it to see." Sephiroth's eyes were amused and curious when Cloud made contact with them, and he was inexplicably embarrassed.

"Sorry," Cloud murmured.

"…Not at all," Sephiroth said after a moment.

The comfortable silence returned, and Cloud took a final swig of water before wiping his mouth and standing back up. "Should we continue?"

Sephiroth stood up gracefully, and Cloud was suddenly aware of his short stature compared to the General. He knew he had a couple more inches to grow—or at least he hoped Hojo's mako hadn't done that, because he didn't want to be 5'5" forever. Sephiroth, who he knew stood a little over six foot, looked much more imposing.

Sephiroth swung Masamune around twice, the whistle of the blade cutting clean through the air was quite loud in the silent gym. Cloud returned to his defensive position, blade up, before the General shook his head.

"This time, you are the attacker. I want to see an aggressive attack. Have you done any field training yet?"

"No," Cloud said, adjusting his grip and stance. Now the blade rested at an angle, the sharp edge facing his opponent. "Zack said he wanted to do a weekend training trip."

"Hm… To the Aldanna Mountains south of here I assume?"

"I think so," Cloud answered. Sephiroth looked like he was thinking about it, but he didn't say anything more.

Cloud slid back into position, and Sephiroth did the same. The moment they made eye contact, Cloud ran forward, leaping to the right the moment he was close enough. Despite Sephiroth being left-handed and therefore more adaptable on his left side, the length of Masamune actually made it more difficult for the General to fight on that side. Granted, with Sephiroth's speed, agility and reflexes, it wasn't much of a disadvantage.

The General didn't outright attack, but he defended and frequently counterattacked, keeping Cloud on his toes. For the first minutes it was a constant push against the General. Cloud had one major victory though when he ducked a blow by Masamune and swung with the buster sword, hitting near the edge of the six-foot blade at an odd angle, causing it to vibrate in the General's hand. The momentary opening was enough for Cloud to swing up again in a move to cut vertically from pelvis to shoulder. Sephiroth was forced to dodge backwards in a blur to Cloud's eyes less he get hit, and Sephiroth's outright smirk at the unexpected move sent a thrill through the blond.

They kept at it for some minutes more before Cloud began to seriously tire. He simply didn't have the endurance to keep up, and finally Sephiroth called it quits. He wasn't even breathing hard, but Cloud rubbed his hands down his sweaty face and grimaced.

"Your ingenuity in battle never fails to surprise me," Sephiroth said.

Cloud couldn't really think all that clearly, the adrenaline and rush of the fight still flowing through him. "You're awesome, too," was all he could say while he caught his breath.

Sephiroth laughed; a very short, quick chuckle that made Cloud blink. He didn't think he'd ever heard the General laugh before. He'd had a cruel, mocking laugh once upon a time, but never something so genuine.

"Thank you for the spar, Cloud," Sephiroth said formally.

"Thank you," Cloud returned a little out of breath, and after a beat, "Sephiroth."

It was probably good his face was still red from exertion; Cloud muttered that he was going to take a shower and beat a hasty retreat.

In the shower under the hot spray, his mind slowly began to clear from the fog of battle high. He'd been sparring with Sephiroth. Talking with him companionably. Things he'd never dreamed of doing.

It might be selfish of him, or immature, but he wanted this. He wanted to know Sephiroth as he was before the Nibelheim Incident. He wanted to know what drew him to this man, what made him…care so much.


	32. Chapter 32

Writer's Note: Forgive me for the delay, but as has been the problem with the last several chapters I've been struggling to write the story. Neither my beta nor I are overly pleased with this chapter, but the wait's been too long for my faithful readers. I'm completely undeserving of your patience. This chapter will hopefully be reworked in the future, but for now I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Thirty-Two (08-02-11)  
**

Cloud sat on a bench outside SOLDIER Training Room D wiping down his blade. With all the New Year celebrations it had been hard to find any peace and quiet. The monotonous repetition of wiping the cloth on the sword was where Cloud had always been able to find the most calm.

He had written a letter to his mother for the New Year, and could only hope it made it there in time. He hadn't heard from her in awhile, but it was just as likely Nibelheim was inaccessible this late in winter. While it rarely snowed in Midgar, Nibelheim could be hit with a snowstorm as early as September some years.

The sound of raucous voices coming down the hall signaled the end of his quiet. Cloud put the buster sword back in the weapons closet and headed back to his room, figuring he could message Reno to see how he was doing. Other than a couple brief encounters after that night where he had admitted to time traveling, they had seen little of each other. Reno hadn't brought up the time travel again, and Cloud wasn't sure if he was angry, disbelieving, or still digesting.

As it turned out, Cloud didn't have to wait long to find out.

"You, me, a nice long talk," Reno said the moment Cloud walked into his room.

"Here?"

"No, I know somewhere more private."

Twenty minutes later a poorly dressed Cloud was standing on the roof of a seventy-story building in January.

"Okay. Let me just say this: I think you're completely insane."

Cloud had known Reno would be a lot harder to convince than Vincent—who had actually bought the story on pretty much faith—but the blond realized he might have underestimated just how skeptical Reno was.

"It's true," was the only thing Cloud could say.

Reno sighed and pulled his knees up a bit to better ward out the cold. "I still don't believe you," he said, looking straight at Cloud, "but I know that this means digging up dirt on Shinra, and you know I'm all for that."

The new Turk sounded rather reluctant, but Cloud appreciated the sheer leap of faith Reno had just shown him. He may not believe Cloud's story, but he was helping anyway. It was really too bad he and Reno had been enemies during AVALANCHE's time.

"Thanks," Cloud said softly, looking in the direction of where his home had once been out in the desert.

"Yeah," Reno said a little gruffly, "I'm only helping you because you're crazy, and it means blackmail on Shinra execs."

"I know." Cloud sat down across from Reno, huddling in. He'd only worn combat pants and a long-sleeve shirt, not expecting Reno to take him up so high. The wind was particularly sharp up here, and mountain boy or no he was still cold.

"So," Reno said after a long pause, "Where should I start?"

* * *

Reeve headed through the Sector 7 slums, keeping his head down and his eyes on the ground. After his first trip to meet with the Flower Girl, he was more aware than ever of how much he stuck out under the plate. Even in his oldest coat and pants he still felt like he was wearing a sign declaring he wasn't from the slums. He could only hope it wasn't obvious he worked for Shinra.

The first meeting with Aeris had been a real eye-opener, and Reeve had been waiting weeks to meet with her again. She had warned him of the Turk's watchful eyes, and Reeve knew meeting with a wanted fugitive could land him without a job.

Still, Reeve knew with a firm determination that surprised him, that this was right. The slums and poverty were wrong, the draining of the Planet's life energy was wrong, and the corruption and abuses of Shinra were wrong. While he was no AVALANCHE member, he certainly sounded like it in moments like this. It was a good thing he knew the Turks were having a training session today back at the HQ; otherwise he may be more than out of a job. He might need to check the consequences of a "breach of contract" on the Shinra Employee Contract he signed ages ago.

Crossing the open pavement in front of the chapel, Reeve pushed aside the door and stepped in, smiling as he spotted the characteristic pink dress crouched by the flowers.

"Hello," he called, and Aeris turned around, a smile on her face.

"I wasn't sure when I'd see you again. How have you been Reeve?" Her hands were caked in dirt, the knees of her dress covered in soil, and she looked perfectly happy. Reeve couldn't remember the last time he'd seen someone so happy in Midgar.

"I'm fine, had a quiet New Year, and you?"

They exchanged pleasantries for a while, and he helped with some of the weeding Aeris was doing as she talked.

"Oh yes, the gangs are just terrible around here. Each Sector seems to have their own."

"Are they the ones that get most of the armament shipments?"

"Yes, I think so. Sector 7 doesn't have too many problems with them because of the train graveyard. Some SOLDIERs have been known to go there to practice."

Reeve wiped his hands on his pants and looked at all the dirt under his fingers. It had been a long time since he'd done something so… hands-on. He'd been a paper-pusher at Shinra for almost sixteen years now.

"What about Don Corneo?"

Aeris sat back from her work, absentmindedly petting a flower petal before rising to sit on one of the old pews. "He pretty much runs Wall Market. Have you ever seen him? He's awfully rude to women."

"Does he run that club…?" Reeve made sort of a vague hand gesture, feeling an uncharacteristic blush.

Aeris giggled, "Yes, that's his. Pretty much everything is Wall Market is."

Reeve sighed, remembering the bits of rumor he'd heard about Shinra's alleged funding of Corneo. He would have to talk to Reno and see where the Turks were on this.

"Tell me more about the Planet."

* * *

Reno and Cloud had moved from the edge of the roof over to the side of one of the air conditioning units, hoping to stay out of the wind's path. They had been talking for nearly an hour now about potential targets to get information from. Cloud already had a list in mind, namely secretaries for executives and major project managers. Reno figured he could put surveillance on most of those computers to keep an eye on things, and keep a back door open in case he wanted specific information. It was ambitious, but Reno looked positive gleeful.

"Hey, speaking of weapon's research and the Science Department, you ever heard of a guy named Hollander?

Cloud narrowed his eyes slightly, and that was all the tell Reno needed.

"What do you know?" Cloud asked.

"I overheard something about defecting scientists, and his name came up." Reno shrugged, looking intently at Cloud.

"He was in charge of two SOLDIER Firsts who defected during the Wutai War. He disappeared too. He might have a handle on Jenova since she wasn't in the reactor."

"You think he might know?" Reno asked.

"He and Hojo are pretty much enemies. He used a different experimentation to make two super-powered SOLDIERs, but Sephiroth with the Jenova cells—"

"—Proved stronger and now he's jealous and wants to one-up him. Planet these scientists are predictable," Reno cut in.

Cloud was about to comment when Reno spoke again abruptly. "Hey, do you know who replaced that Lazard guy as SOLDIER exec, or whatever they call it?"

"Wait, Lazard's not there?" Cloud said sharply.

"No," Reno said looking a little confused. "After the drug thing with our bunker they did an investigation of the Science Department and he split. Turns out he was funding this guy Hollander. Think he might have been helping Hollander out with this Jenova thing?"

Cloud's face lost all expression as Reno finished his explanation. "What is it?"

"Lazard didn't leave yet, I'm sure of it. He had to have left after the attack on Junon, because he definitely helped Hollander there. I remember getting mission orders from him, and there was the incident at Icicle Inn with Zack… That means things are changing."

"Attack on Junon?" Reno interrupted, not hearing anything Cloud said after that.

"AVALANCHE attacks Junon. And then Hollander escapes from Junon just before the… But Lazard leaving means…"

Reno wasn't quite able to follow everything Cloud was saying. "Wait, they caught Hollander?"

"Zack did."

"So then he's in custody right now?"

"Yes."

To Reno this was blatantly obvious, but Cloud seemed to be slow on the uptake. "Then how could he have Jenova?"

"Genesis. Or the clones."

"Clones. Great." Cloud's expression was hard, determined, and Reno's sarcasm was lost on him. Deciding to get back on track with Lazard, rather than worry about Cloud's foreseen "future", Reno returned to the point. "Do you know why he was funding Hollander?"

Cloud only shook his head. The action coupled with such a serious expression made it rather grave. "No. But I do know he injected himself with some of Angeal's cells and then went after Zack."

"Who's Angeal, and why the hell would anyone inject themselves with his cells?" Reno asked half-rhetorically.

Cloud tried to explain, but he didn't know most of Lazard's story himself. He had only remembered bits and pieces from what little of Zack was in him. He knew Lazard ultimately had helped Zack, but he didn't know what this meant for the timeline of events. As things changed Cloud knew events would change that he could no longer predict, but Lazard's early appearance might mean events were speeding up. And that meant less time to find Jenova and destroy her.

"We need to get a bead on Jenova. Hollander might know something, otherwise only Hojo would."

Reno recognized the note of steel in Cloud's voice and didn't dispute him. "Okay, you worry about the space-time continuum, and I'll worry about Hollander. If he's being held by Shinra, then I can see if they did any interrogation reports."

"Yeah," Cloud said, and he stood up and stretched a bit. He didn't feel so cold now. "I'll see what I can remember about Lazard."

* * *

Tuesday, 0730, Cloud was sitting on the examination table in a small, sterile white room. He concentrated carefully on not swinging his feet, a nervous habit he'd thought he'd kicked.

This would be not only his first meeting here with Hojo, but the first injection of mako; the first step on an inevitable road. Cloud knew this was necessary, a choice he'd made when he'd come back, and there was no way he'd back out now. Still, it didn't make the actual injection any easier.

Two nurses, one male one female, entered the room carrying a small medical case and a clipboard. Cloud kept one eye on the door as they worked. The woman began to take his vitals while the male nurse jotted something on the clipboard he was holding before handing it to him. "You'll need to sign this waiver beforehand, just promising you know the side effects and so on."

Cloud looked over it, knowing that this was essentially an agreement to use his body for Hojo's scientific research. Some lines jumped out at him including "…not hold Shinra Inc. or affiliated agents accountable for any complications such as aneurysm or cardiac arrest associated with…" Cloud sighed, but accepted the pen offered to him and scrawled his name as illegibly as possible on the bottom. There was nothing he could do about it, and they all knew it.

As the first nurse unwrapped the blood pressure monitor from his arm, the door opened to admit Professor Hojo. He was exactly the same as Cloud remembered him, from the chemically stained lab coat to the unkempt hair and glasses. Cloud affixed his stare to the far wall, trying to combat the innate revulsion to what he was doing. _Necessary_, he reminded himself. _Sacrifice._

Out of the corner of his eye Cloud could see Hojo move to the case to prep the mako, while the nurse swabbed his arm and prepared him for the needle. The blond focused on one spot on the wall and reminded himself to breathe in and out. Just seeing Hojo brought back a host of memories, none good. The thought of killing the scientist right now made it slightly more bearable. It would be impossible of course, but the thought was nice.

His nerves must have been obvious to the nurse, because she tried to comfort him. "It's okay, plenty of SOLDIERs don't like needles. If your mako levels are high enough, you'll be able to take the showers and that's far easier. You just have to get through this one for now."

She smiled, but it did nothing to help Cloud's state of mind.

She backed away and Hojo came over. Cloud tried not to flinch as the scientist picked up his arm and patted the crease of the elbow several times to make sure the vein was clear.

Cloud fought hard to clear his mind of any memories of mako by focusing solely on the Omnislash kata. Imagining the movements in his mind, he repeated it over and over again as he felt the pinprick of the needle followed by the slow burn of the mako moving into his bloodstream.

It hurt, creating an ache that sluggishly flowed up his arm and tingled all the way to his chest. Before he realized it Hojo had removed the needle and was carefully cleaning and disposing of it as the nurse from before came over with another big smile on her face. The scientist left barely minutes after he came.

"Now, we'll wrap it up, and I hope you have a friend to help you back to your barracks. Normal side effects include shaking, sweating, sensitivity, mild nausea, disorientation, heightened aggression and vivid dreams. Side effects should continue for at least an hour, though up to three is normal. If after four hours you're still feeling it, please come back. You may feel out of sorts all day though, given that it's your first one. Okay?"

She looked too cheery for Cloud's tastes as the male nurse helped him off the bed. Already he could feel a strange energy in his limbs, and his vision sharpened noticeably. The male nurse escorted him down the hall to the waiting room where Zack was chatting up a Second next to him.

"Spike! How you feeling? Thanks nurse, I'll take him from here."

Zack slung an arm over Cloud's shoulder and started to guide him to the door.

"Zack, I'm fine," Cloud said, but the SOLDIER First knew better.

"You may not feel too bad now, but wait for it to hit you. You'll be ripping your clothes off in no time." Zack winked and walked Cloud to the elevators arm ready to offer support.

"So, not so bad right?" Zack asked cheerfully.

"I can feel it in me."

"Eh, that's normal. Just tell me if you're gonna puke."

Cloud's normally pale face was a little flushed, but that might have just been the reaction. Zack knew how much it sucked the first time, and he didn't envy Cloud now.

"Just remember Spike, it's all worth it in the end."

Cloud didn't say anything to that.

Zack managed to get the new SOLDIER to his apartment before the blond could totally lose it. He'd begun to complain about the itchiness of his clothes as they stepped out of the elevator, and he'd started to say some strange things when they entered Zack's building. Cloud seemed to have more of a mental reaction than a physical, which was both good and bad. He wouldn't puke on the carpet, but also had moments where he didn't seem aware it was Zack with him.

"Hey Cloud, let's get you in the bath okay, the water'll feel real good," Zack coaxed as he helped Cloud to undress, tossing his boots into the bedroom. Luckily the First had been able to draw a bath in the adjacent bathroom while Cloud murmured to himself on the bed.

"It's like the ocean, remember? After the truck?" Cloud asked. He didn't slur, but his eyes weren't completely focused.

"Yeah, like the ocean," Zack repeated, unsure what Cloud was talking about or even who he thought he was talking to. It was a little funny, but Zack wouldn't laugh because he knew this was the mako's doing. Hallucinating could be just as dangerous as violent physical reactions.

When Cloud started to wobble trying to pull one sock off, Zack chuckled slightly at the response he would get from the blond tomorrow when he told him about this, then started to tug at Cloud's pants until the younger man started to squawk.

"Zaaaaaaaaack," and the image of a whining eight-year old Cloud popped into mind.

"Oh come on, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

There was a small struggle, but Zack came away with the pants. "Okay, you do the last bit and get in there."

Cloud looked over at the water then back at him, and Zack suddenly knew Cloud wasn't looking at him anymore. His pupils were blown and had the slightest edge of mako glow. His face slipped into a familiar stoic mask, and it was eerily like that moment when Cloud seemed to stare right through the one-way mirror at Kunsel after the interrogation.

"Cloud?" Zack asked cautiously.

There was no response, and suddenly the blond's bare foot caught Zack in the stomach, causing him to stumble back into the open doorway.

"Cloud?" Zack said again, only this time with a serious note of worry in his voice. Whatever Cloud was hallucinating, it wasn't good.

The blond didn't seem to even be himself anymore. He was in nothing but boxers in a bathroom but he looked so fierce, every line of his body confident and strong. Muscles tense and ready for an attack.

"Hey Cloud, it's me Zack. Remember you had the mako injection—" Zack had reached out to Cloud, but the blond snarled.

"Don't touch me!"

Zack hesitated for a moment, knowing he could very seriously hurt his friend, but he needed to get a hold of him and make him see through this delusion. With the mako in his veins he could be dangerous to both himself and others. Without any control over his own strength and thinking he was fighting a monster, this could get ugly fast.

Cloud began circling, possibly hoping to make a break for it, and Zack quickly made his decision.

Coming in he ducked a punch and caught the wrist, pulling it to his side for leverage to hopefully pin Cloud down. Before he could get a hold of the second arm, a knee hit him right in the femoral artery, knocking both of them to the ground. Zack winced as his shoulder went down against the doorknob of the bathroom closet, but it was too late to regret such close quarters.

Cloud said something, but in the midst of scrabbling for purchase on the blond's small body Zack didn't catch it. He did catch the punch to the face though, and managed to dislodge Cloud's hold on him long enough to pin him face down.

"Cloud, remember me, it's Zack, your friend. I don't know who you think you're fighting, but you gotta stop before you hurt yourself. It's just the mako—"

Cloud bucked up as the last word left Zack's lips and threw his weight to the side, managing to come down on Zack's arm. There wasn't enough power to break Zack's enhanced limbs, but it damn well hurt.

Zack cursed, and fumbled to catch an ankle before Cloud could sprint into the bedroom. He got a hold and quickly dragged him back into the room, using his enhanced speed to jump up and dodge out of Cloud's way and into the bedroom. He managed to close the bathroom door and grab his PHS. When no banging started up on the door, Zack made his call short.

"Seph, I need you at my apartment ASAP."

Trying to remember if there were any vents in the bathroom, Zack tried to talk Cloud down.

"Cloud, it's Zack. Zack Fair. SOLDIER, your friend. Remember the buster sword? Or that switch-hit technique we did last week?" Silence. "You're seriously scaring me, Spike."

There was no response from the other side of the door. Zack hoped to the Planet he was still in there and maybe with some measure of calm.

"Seph's coming," he added after a moment. He had no idea if that would do anything.

"Sephiroth's dead," was the short answer, the voice eerily flat.

"What?"

Before Zack could follow up though, his apartment door opened and Sephiroth came in. He had to have run to get there so quickly. "What is the emergency?"

"It's Cloud," Zack told him, noting the work attire. "You might want to roll up your sleeves. He practically kicked me out of the bathroom, and I can't get him to calm down. He even just said—"

There was the sound of someone falling on tile, and Zack hurriedly opened the door.

"Zack?" Cloud sounded very small suddenly. "Are we going to make it? What if he comes after us?"

Sephiroth crowded the door behind Zack as the First went over to the fallen blond.

"Hey, what are you talking about? You're going to be fine. I'll need to run the water again since it's probably cool, but it'll all be gone in a couple hours." Zack tried to be as soothing as possible. He wanted to hug Cloud, but he knew his skin would be overly sensitive for a while and wasn't sure what response he might get.

"I wasn't ready," Cloud said, but when Zack asked him for what he stared blankly forward and seemed unaware the First had spoke.

When Zack looked at Sephiroth he thought he caught a glimpse of sympathy before the mask returned.

"Let me just get him in and I'll tell you what happened."

Zack ran the water again as Sephiroth watched Cloud, undoubtedly looking for signs of mako poisoning or an attack.

"I don't think it's abnormal hallucinations. Just… violent ones. Like some of the older SOLDIERs get."

"Hm." Sephiroth didn't comment.

When the water was ready, Zack helped Cloud up and led him over to the edge of the tub. The blond didn't protest as Zack moved to help him finish undressing when he suddenly seemed to seize up, his whole body going tense.

"Cloud?" Zack asked nervously, one hand still on the band of his boxers.

The blond abruptly moved away in a sharp, jagged movement. He glanced behind him at the wall, but seemed to see something else. "W-We should go. What if they come again Zack? Zack?" Cloud's face was a mask of worry and an uncharacteristic dose of fear.

When Zack didn't immediately respond, Cloud whispered the tentative plea again.

The First seemed frozen for a second too long, because Cloud's face again took on that blank coldness they'd seen in the interrogation room.

Before Zack could even formulate a thought, Cloud's hand went straight for the throat, and he was forced to parry the blow or end up with a crushed windpipe. Because of the momentum though he stumbled over the edge of the toilet falling hard between the toilet and the wall, and consequently Cloud got to the other end of the bathroom where Sephiroth was waiting in the doorway. The blond ducked Sephiroth's grab and went for an inside-knee kick that was blocked. They shared a short flurry of blows before Sephiroth was able to catch a grip on one forearm, twisting Cloud with it to disable both arms at once. In seconds the blond was face first on the bathroom floor, Sephiroth holding him down with one arm.

"Zack," Sephiroth said. He could just see the other SOLDIER scrunched in the corner of the bathroom, groaning curses.

"This is going to bruise tomorrow," was all Zack said as he steadied himself, one hand on his lower back.

Sephiroth's free hand moved to the center of Cloud's back as the blond started to struggle, a warning not to try.

"Cloud, we're not going to hurt you. Remember us?" Zack tried, and when the blond seemed to relax marginally and turn his head towards him, Sephiroth relaxed his grip a bit.

"Zack?" Cloud mumbled, half into the floor and half in his general direction.

"Hey buddy, you remember me?" Zack's relief was palpable. Cloud was coming out of it.

"Yeah, we were… we…" Cloud blinked fuzzily and lifted his head off the floor, looking confused before he seemed to refocus on Zack, eyes sharper than they'd been since the elevator. "Zack?"

"You remember anything?"

Cloud tried to shift his arms, and Sephiroth slowly released him. When the blond looked back at the General, there was a flash of surprise and pain before he began to turn bright red. "What happened?"

"You were suffering from a vivid hallucination. Do you recall it?" Sephiroth supplied.

"N-No," Cloud said, and seemed to realize suddenly his state of undress. He hunched over himself, and Zack couldn't hide the amused smile.

"How do you feel? That's more important."

"My skin is… itchy."

"Well, let me run the bath water _again_, and we'll see about that." Zack smiled and ruffled Cloud's hair as he stood up to go and add hot water again. Sephiroth stood up as well from his crouch and offered Cloud his hand.

The blond took it and stood up, and Sephiroth noticed his embarrassment turned not just his cheeks red, but a fair bit of his neck and upper chest too.

"I apologize if you are bruised or hurt in any way. You seemed to be under the impression we were going to hurt you, and fought well in…" Sephiroth didn't bother to hide the slightest curl of a smirk as his eyes flicked to the boxers and back, and Cloud's ears even took on a faint red tinge.

"Yeah, you were way out of it," Zack called, his grinning face looking back at them. "You even said Sephiroth was dead to me."

"I did?" Cloud's voice cracked and the blush seemed to drain away, making him look even paler than normal. Sephiroth was rather curious about the reaction.

"Do you remember that?"

"No," Cloud said, his voice and face unreadable. For some reason this troubled Sephiroth quite a bit.

"Let me or Zack know if you remember anything from the…delusion."

Zack announced the bath was ready before the blond had to think up a response.

Minutes later, Cloud was drifting in the hot bath, but unable to fully relax. He remembered everything in a strange blur up to entering the bathroom. After that it was… images. Memories. Fleeing with Zack from Hojo. Then from the Turks. Dipping his hands in the ocean. Flashes of gunshots.

Cloud sunk down further into the bath until the water went up to his chin as Zack knocked and cracked the bathroom door open.

"Hey Cloud, seriously I've always got an ear for you," Zack said, and even though Cloud couldn't see him he could tell from Zack's tone he was frowning. "What happened was… violent. Sudden. You were really scary Cloud. I… I know you want to become a SOLDIER, but your face was…"

The First paused for several seconds, and Cloud knew he'd really scared him. Badly. The blond's eyes drifted down to the bubbles, feeling a sense of shame and a strange sort of regret.

"No emotion. Like you were… a robot or something."

_A clone. A clone bred to be nothing more than a copy of a perfect SOLDIER. And a failure at that._

"If there's anything on your chest, anything from before Shinra you want to talk about… I'm your friend Cloud, and I want to help."

Cloud kept staring into the bubbles and didn't respond as the door closed.


	33. Chapter 33

Writer's Note: I am pleased to say this chapter is a lot better in my opinion. Thank you all for your encouraging reviews and critiques last chapter—they mean a lot to me. Also, thank you for putting me at over 2000 REVIEWS! Green Dreams has come a long way, so thank you so, so much.

This chapter is plot plot plot pretty much, but the last chunk is half fanservice. I know I haven't been giving you a lot of Seph/Cloud, so I hope this makes it up a little (there's still some important stuff that slipped in there, because I apparently can't do anything without inserting plot). Also, I haven't forgotten Mama Strife or Dan, but you'll see what's been going on with them soon. Big thanks to my beta Birddi as always for being awesome.

_Quick Note: This chapter has been edited once by Birddi, but due to work and illness she has been unable to complete the second draft. This was the cause for the delay in this chapter, and we both apologize. Once I get it from her I will update the chapter, but she's told me there aren't any major changes, just tweaks, so thank you for being aware of that._

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make no money from this work. Anything recognizable to the Final Fantasy VII series and its associated parts belongs to Square Enix and affiliated companies.

_Green Dreams_

**Chapter Thirty-Three (09-06-11)**

Ex-Turk Vincent Valentine was standing over the contorted body of a mercenary. The mishmash of quality armor and cheap clothing and the variety of weapons gave him away as a hired hand. There were plenty around, and many deserters, if the Shinra standard boots the mercenary wore had anything to say.

After investigating the Forgotten City Vincent had made his way to Icicle Inn as planned, only to walk into what seemed to be a nest of Shinra activity.

Two SOLDIERs had been caught by some of AVALANCHE's members outside of town, and if the body at Vincent's feet was any evidence, also experimented on. Considering the number of shots it took to fell this mercenary, and the obvious signs of scientific alteration done to the man, Vincent had a pretty good idea of what it was.

He reached down to touch the marbled skin on one side, too hard to be normal. It was an early sign of mutation. Vincent combed through the clothing to find any kind of identification or information, but there wasn't much. The rest of the body was a map of scars, some from battle, an alarming number from recent surgery, and bruises. Shots to the head had seemed to be what killed him finally, which Vincent noted for future reference. It was obvious what someone had been trying to do with the mercenary.

The want for Super-soldiers never went out of style.

The body was found a couple hundred yards from the entrance of town, where there had been a fight. The local townsfolk said Turks had come, probably to free the two SOLDIERs, but were being sent back in along with some reinforcements to clear out the compound. Vincent had been mildly surprised to hear Turks had been involved in what sounded like a frontal assault. When he'd been trained it was as a stealth soldier, meant for spying and assassination rather than straightforward combat.

Frontal assaults were usually the worst way to go about a battle, in Vincent's opinion. Not only did they result in massive casualties for both sides, but also less ground was gained and too much evidence was destroyed. Whoever had led this mission was poorly trained.

Vincent swept his hair out of his face, the cold metal of his hand uncomfortable and a little unexpected, but he brushed it off and started to track the Turk expedition. They'd made no attempt to hide their trail, and the occasional corpse along it said they'd been fighting the whole way.

The remains of a Turk were visible as Vincent approached a rock wall roughly a mile and a half northeast of Icicle Inn. He liberated some ammunition and a spare gun from the body before moving on. He only intended to investigate the area and know the layout so when reinforcements arrived tomorrow he'd be ready. There was no reason to go inside the cave if SOLDIERs were doing it tomorrow. Shinra's elite would make the charge and clear the way, and then the ex-Turk could slip in unnoticed.

When he'd scouted the area, he returned back to the camp he'd set up a little ways from town, and waited for the cavalry.

At dawn the next day, Vincent waited crouched in the snow behind some of the jagged rocks that dotted the white landscape, watching the platoon prepare to head out. It appeared there was a Turk amongst them, who was giving most of the directions. It seemed he hadn't learned from his predecessor, and a frontal assault was likely in the works, given the gear the cannon fodder were wearing. Despite the snow Vincent could barely feel the cold, which he was both thankful for and perturbed by. Whatever Hojo had done to him—and his metal fist clicked a bit as it clenched—he had deserved it, but it didn't mean the man wouldn't be punished for it and everything else he'd done.

Returning to the present, Vincent counted the squad's numbers, all dressed in thick winter wear except for the captain, who was clearly either a First or Second. He was not as affected by the cold either, and was easily discernable in the dark colors of SOLDIERs. Two more SOLDIERs joined them from the direction of town, and their appearances made it clear they were the two that had been rescued the day before. It seemed they couldn't have been that injured if they were back for a fight the next day. Admirable, but ultimately stupid.

The helicopter the Shinra troops arrived in took off back to Icicle Inn for refueling as the men continued to prep weapons and run over their strategy. From what he could overhear, it sounded like they planned to land around a rocky outcropping almost two miles north of the cave network, possibly going for a surprise attack. Vincent knew their chances of that were slim.

Already knowing where the cave was, Vincent set off so he could be ready for them when they arrived, his long shoes leaving strange prints in the snow. As long as the soldiers did their job he could be in and out in under an hour.

* * *

"Congratulations Tseng," Ringer said, a blonde who had the annoying habit of smiling a little too coyly over her drink at their new leader. They had just received notification from the president about the promotion. Everyone knew it was likely temporary, and Tseng did most of the fieldwork anyway, so the dynamic didn't really change. It went unsaid though that no one was really sure what had happened to Veld. Reno hadn't liked the strict head that much, but he was way better than the Wutain, who would be more unbearable now than ever.

Reno wasn't the only one who snorted into his coffee (spiked with the strongest stuff in Tseng's liquor cabinet). It was everyone's lunch break, and a thrown together party to celebrate Tseng's promotion. It was still surreal to Reno to be standing in an office environment like this. The outward face of the Turks demanded this kind of atmosphere, even if most of their work involved covert operations everywhere else.

Reno escaped the impromptu party before Tseng could catch sight of him and corner him, slipping into Rude's cubical down the hall where the older Turk sat diligently typing away.

Rude was perhaps the oddest match for Reno's partner, but they actually got along quite well. Patient, stoic, and soft-spoken, he was Reno's foil, in Tseng's words. To Reno's limited understanding of Wutain philosophy, Rude was the yin to his yang, whatever the hell that meant. There was a reason people slept through the mandatory Wutain culture class. Rude didn't judge, never got annoyed, and seemed to, in rare glimpses, actually enjoy the redhead's humor. The man also proved to be an excellent Turk; never questioning orders, highly efficient when it came to the job, and dangerous in combat.

Dude was hella badass.

"Rude, you're missing the party, yo." Reno waved his hand in the vague direction of the break room where Tseng and most of the people in the office hoping for free food were.

The big man barely glanced at him, but Reno could see the slight movement of his eyes beneath the ever-present sunglasses.

He was getting good at reading him. Maybe. It was all in the angle of the lips (or whatever).

"Do ya' know what happened to Veld?"

Rude was silent for several moments before speaking. "…Temporary leave."

Reno leaned against the side of the cubicle; his rumpled suit in total contrast to Rude's starched one. "_Forced_ temporary leave?" Reno asked half-sarcastically half-serious, and Rude's non-response said that was most likely. It was like reading Cloud some days, except less scary. And wasn't that a strange thought? A SOLDIER cadet was scarier than a trained Turk.

Or whatever the hell Cloud said he was. The sci-fi stuff was way over Reno's head.

The redhead shook his head a little. Maybe he'd overdone the vodka a bit. Normally it wasn't his thing—rum, when he could afford it, had always been his drink of choice—but stealing from Tseng was always satisfying. Pens, paperclips, etc., pretty much anything he could get his hands on. Why the man kept such strong stuff at work he didn't know though. Reno could only hope one day he'd catch the Wutain drunk in the office. That would be like an early birthday.

"Well, maybe we can get shipped out for a week so I don't have to 'help him move in' or whatever he'll do to rub it in my face."

Rude's telling pause (slightly different from his normal silence), indicated there was something to be said.

Deftly, despite his wide, flat fingers, Rude accessed the server and pulled up the assignment sheet that technically only the head of the Turks could access (but everyone did—this was the Turks after all). Reno leaned closer to the screen to see what Rude was doing.

"Junon, huh?"

Rude scrolled down a bit. It seemed to be some kind of patrol job, which sounded boring as hell to Reno. What caught his eye though was who was leading the expedition.

"Wait a second, wait a second, scroll up Rude."

The big man did. On the top under the direction for the mission were the captain, Tseng, and the commander of the mission, one Heidegger.

"Heidegger?" Reno groaned, throwing his head back in exaggerated annoyance.

"…"

"Ugh, that's almost as bad as Tseng. What the hell did Veld do? Kill the president's mother?"

Rude didn't say anything as Reno left in a huff. If he and Reno were lucky they'd get a post in the far corner of Junon, away from Tseng and that grating horse laugh.

* * *

Vincent exited the underground laboratory by a side entrance, coming out on the frozen tundra, cape swirling with the gusts of wind. He took in a strong breath to clear out the sharp smell of antiseptic and chemicals. It brought to mind memories of Nibelheim and Lucrecia, and Vincent pushed them back into the box in the back of his mind, shutting the lid tight.

The lab in the cave was rudimentary, obviously a temporary base of operations. Fuhito, the scientist running the lab, had indeed been experimenting on the SOLDIERs, trying to improve his formula for "Ravens", his personal brand of superior soldiers. While the research was rather sadistic and disturbing, as was the trend with scientists, Vincent had concluded it was unrelated to Hojo. Though Fuhito had obviously modeled his work on what Hojo had done with SOLDIER, he had neither the funding nor the materials that Hojo had. Jenova was not involved it seemed.

Vincent's original intention in coming to Icicle Inn was to check out Modeoheim, an old excavation site for mako and where many scientists did experimentation. Hollander had been among their number. It was south of the town, but Vincent would have to circumnavigate around it because the SOLDIER and his troops would be returning there eventually, and it was better if they never knew he'd been around.

The journey took him most of the rest of the day. None of the beasts in this area were particularly dangerous, and many of the smarter ones avoided him once they sensed the demons in him. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, so he didn't think about it.

By sunset he came upon the ravine where the now abandoned town of Modeoheim still sat.

There was some damage to the town above ground, caused by both materia and physical attacks. Vincent took a cursory look at the destruction, but the amount of snow and decay indicated it was not recent.

The reactor itself wasn't in great condition after years of harsh weather. Vincent was careful in the old metal structure, which eerily resembled the Nibelheim reactor the ex-Turk had navigated before. Both were some of the earliest reactors, but Modeoheim's lab had been built into the building when it was first made, while Hojo had made his additions to Nibelheim later. The basement below the reactor was where Vincent knew the lab would be.

The place itself was a wreck, and it was clear Shinra had cleaned out much of the documents and information that had been here. The equipment, old and clunky that it was, had been left behind though, and Vincent had a feeling he would be more thorough than any crew sent to clean the place up.

He checked the equipment first, getting a feel for what had been truly abandoned when the reactor dried up, and what had been used more recently. The examination table, syringes, and IV bags were all more recently disturbed. The small mako shower in the corner and many of the glass tubes for dousing were coated with layers of dust, evidence they'd remained untouched for years. Whatever had occurred here had not involved any large amounts of mako.

The next thing to look for was documents, which would mean slow going. The ex-Turk was careful to check all shelves for hidden panels, loose books or pages, anything that might have been a hiding place or tucked away for safekeeping. There was no sign anyone had returned here after Hollander left, so anything he found would likely have belonged to the scientist.

Eventually Vincent's meticulousness paid off. In the pencil draw of the desk there were several papers jammed between the drawer and the back of the desk, most likely accidentally stuck there when someone went through the drawer too quickly. Vincent was careful to extract the papers without tearing them, spreading out the creased notes on the desk to look at. Hollander's handwriting was tough to decipher, but as Vincent skimmed it he knew this was what he'd been looking for.

It seemed to be notes concerning concentrated amounts of Jenova cells and theories on how they might interact with a specimen already possessing some dormant Jenova cells. The "perfect specimen" was referenced several times, along with Project G, which Vincent was familiar with from his time with the Turks. It seemed Dr. Hollander was hoping to expand upon his prized work somehow, and Hojo's research was likely part of it.

There was little hard information on the pages; most of it scientifically inclined, involving amounts for saline drips and mako exposure and numerous equations. What it meant to Vincent though, was proof that Hollander was interested in pure Jenova cells, something that would only be possible to get through Hojo. The paranoid scientist undoubtedly had some in storage, probably in Midgar since any in Nibelheim were destroyed, and he would never give them to his longtime rival. The only other place for Jenova cells was Sephiroth or Jenova herself.

Cloud had related what he knew of Dr. Hollander, but his knowledge was slim. He was still in Shinra hands at the moment, but his accomplice and creation, the First Class SOLDIER Genesis, was not. If he was working with Hollander then he might have Jenova or be searching for her.

The General was the option Cloud had not mentioned, despite his knowledge concerning Sephiroth's origins. Sephiroth himself though, as Cloud made exceedingly clear, was not fully aware of the circumstances of his birth, and so only peripherally aware of the Jenova cells in him. Vincent considered briefly the chances of Sephiroth either freely giving the cells or being forced to, but discarded it. It was unlikely the General could be forced to do much, and unless the General and Hollander's First Class met on the battlefield, which would force Genesis out of hiding, Jenova was still Hollander's best bet.

The tough part now would be finding the ex-SOLDIER. Shinra had officially declared him dead, but Cloud said he returned in a massive attack on Junon. Where he was in the intervening months was a mystery though.

The best place to start, Vincent considered as he tucked the papers into an inside pocket, was in Banora Village, where Dr. Hollander had done his work on Project G. If Genesis was a product of it, then he was probably familiar with the village. As all of Shinra believed him dead, it was also unlikely he was expecting anyone to come looking for him there.

Vincent checked the rest of the room as carefully as before in case there was anything else, but anything that had been left was long gone.

To get to Banora would require a trip across the world, since the village was in the Mideel area. The port was several days trek from Icicle Inn, in the southwest, and would take him back to Costa del Sol, where he'd have to get another ship to Junon. Vincent briefly considered passing through Midgar to meet with Cloud, but his findings weren't enough to warrant the risk of being recognized in Shinra's city.

Vincent left the room after one quick glimpse over it, eyes able to see as easily in the dark as in the light. The town would be safe enough to camp in for the night, before he started for the port in the morning.

* * *

"Reporting, sir," Zack said, and he looked the part of the perfect soldier except for the stubborn lock of hair covering one eye. As was the case after some missions, there was no smile on his face.

"At ease," General Sephiroth said, and Zack immediately slouched, sliding into one of the posture chairs in the debriefing room. He normally tried to crack or joke or at least chat with Sephiroth before getting down to the gritty stuff, but this time the First just didn't feel like it. Burying Essai and Sebastian had been hard. He tried to act cheerful all the way here, but he knew Seph didn't buy it and so didn't bother. The General had been there through the entire Angeal ordeal, and he saw right through Zack's happy smile. It was a blessing no one else did yet.

"Report."

"The compound was located in a cave north of Icicle Inn. We were ambushed when we arrived, and I was separated from the others. It was AVALANCHE members mostly, with limited training, but they overwhelmed the infantryman. When I found the other men, Essai and Sebastian were gone. Whatever took them was much stronger than the people we'd been fighting." Zack pushed the lock of hair away from his face, remembering briefly the scattered bodies on the ground. Thankfully most of the men had been knocked out or incapacitated, but it had reminded him too much of what he had seen in Wutai.

Zack reiterated the events of getting into the lab itself, and finding Essai and Sebastian transformed into that scientist's devilish creations. They'd become monsters, and Zack and the Turk he'd been with had been forced to kill them. Seeing his friends go down that way was not easy.

"Describe the transformation. Any mutations or physical attributes stick out to you?"

Zack told him what he saw; down to the two SOLDIERs deaths and the graves he made for them.

"Ravens," Sephiroth said, crossing his arms and shifting slightly in the uncomfortable chair. He looked too tall to be in it. "The Turks have had reports of them before. Their accelerated healing makes all but death blows useless, and they are particularly ruthless."

Zack's expression became unreadable as he stared down Sephiroth. "You said they're called _Ravens_?"

Sephiroth nodded, eyes narrowing slightly at the look on Zack's face.

"Cloud… a couple months ago Cloud told me about something called the Ravens." Zack's brow furrowed a bit, remembering the awkward conversation. Cloud had looked so…reluctant, ashamed even.

"He did?" Sephiroth's voice was flat as usual, but when Zack made eye contact he knew this disturbed his friend.

"Yeah. I was being deployed to deal with AVALANCHE. I think it was September, or maybe early October." Zack thought back, "Cloud told me to… be careful of the Ravens; that they were dangerous, strong, and a scientist in AVALANCHE had made them. I asked him where he heard of them, and he said Reno had told him." Zack paused, and his shoulders weren't so tense now. "I wouldn't be surprised if Reno has connections to AVALANCHE. They're all over the underground in Midgar."

Zack rubbed a tired hand against the back of his neck, thinking. The General knew Zack well though, and he knew the First didn't want to believe Cloud would be caught up with AVALANCHE somehow. Sephiroth wanted to believe it too, but he was far from convinced.

* * *

Reeve shuffled the pile of forms he'd finished signing into a neat pile, putting it in the out-box on his desk. Looking at the inbox still two-thirds full, Reeve could feel both his age and his job weighing on him. No matter how many forms his filled out or requests he made, his job was a passive one at best. At worst nothing more than political.

Feeling lethargic and too tired to be really annoyed at his unhappy occupation, Reeve glanced at the clock behind him: 3:14pm. He still had at least another two and a half hours before he could leave.

Next week he'd be doing an inspection of some of the buildings by the outer walls of Midgar, but this week was all paperwork, and it was wearing the executive down. He felt tired, and the thought of looking over another form or report about rusting bolts and cracking beams made him think longingly of the couch in the lounge on the floor below.

Realizing what this meant, Reeve pushed back his chair, wincing automatically as it scrapped the wall, and stood up, deciding to head to the nice coffee machine a couple floors down and get some caffeine.

He peeked in at the office he passed by, seeing one of the poor people under him slaving over paperwork, dark circles under his eyes. He looked as happy as Reeve felt.

Down at the very end of the hall was the door to the stairs. The executive's shoes echoed nosily as he made his way down the empty stairwell. It was almost impossible to be quiet on the cheap metal. Reno's military boots always clunked painfully as he marched up and down.

Thinking of Reno, Reeve recalled that he'd been sent to Junon several days ago along with most of the Turks; canceling the meeting they'd planned this week. Heidegger was behind it. Reeve wasn't sure what was going on there exactly, it likely had to do with the cannon built there, though why the head of "Public Safety" needed so many Turks was a mystery.

Four flights of stairs later, and Reeve came out in another hallway identical to his except for the maroon carpet and the fancier lounge at the end.

He could already hear the voices of others talking, likely looking for any reason to stop working too. As he entered the room he glanced over the people gathered there, surprised at seeing the General standing by the windows. There were two young women on one of the couches indiscreetly watching the man, while a number of others Reeve didn't recognize talking not far from the coffee machine, though they too sent wary glances at the General's back.

Reeve got his cup of coffee and hesitated, wondering whether to join the pensive General by the window or sip his coffee somewhere else.

In the end, the conversation between the employees on the other side of the room caught his attention.

"Can you believe it? The head of the Department of Administrative Research was fired just last week."

"Really?" Another one of them said. They were indistinguishable in their suits. "I heard he was in some kind of scandal. The President was pissed. Bet the head of Weapons Development was involved."

"Oh come on, you think she's involved with everything. You just want to sleep with her."

The conversation devolved from there, but Reeve wasn't listening anymore. He had heard about Verdot's "temporary leave", and everyone was aware something had been going on there. You didn't just kick out a Turk, not when they did the dirty work for Shinra.

Reeve glanced over at the General's profile, but couldn't tell if he'd overheard anything or if the man was even curious. His stolid face made it nearly impossible to read, so the executive took another drink of his coffee and came to a decision.

"I heard about Verdot's leave," he said slowly, approaching the still General, "Do you know if it will be permanent?" Reeve already had a fairly good idea about the circumstances concerning the head of the Turks absence, but he wanted to judge where Sephiroth was on this. Speaking with Aeris had emboldened him, and he knew Sephiroth had little love for the Shinra Corporation.

The General turned slightly to face him, a cup of tea in his hand. His gaze was heavy, and it made Reeve suddenly nervous, like he could see through him. "It seems unlikely to me."

Reeve made a noise of confirmation and took a sip of coffee, using the moment to think clearly. If he told the General what he suspected, what would be the repercussions? The man was the leader of the greater military, and one who commanded a great deal of loyalty. While Reeve was still very preliminarily considering ways of changing the company, it didn't hurt to accumulate allies—or at least people who wouldn't immediately strike you down. Aeris was already being extremely helpful, and Sephiroth could possibly from another angle.

Cupping his coffee in both hands, Reeve glanced at the window. He would have lowered his voice, but he didn't want to seem too much like his was conspiring, especially since he and the General were barely acquaintances.

"I heard a rumor," he started, trying for nonchalant, though his voice was still quieter than he meant to be. He could tell he had the General's full attention, which was intimidating, "that he may have been involved in a security leak. Bigger than the one with Lazard."

Sephiroth's expression didn't change as Reeve fought the instinctive urge to stare and try to read him. He glanced up once, making brief eye contact with those eerily cat-like irises.

"I expect Verdot will return," Sephiroth said neutrally, the low timber of voice carrying slightly to the onlookers. "He was always…diligent in his work." There was the slightest of pauses, barely noticeable, and then he moved off to rinse out his mug, acting perfectly natural.

The other employees in the room seemed to hold their breath before starting up whispered conversations while the women flashed glances at the small kitchen area. Reeve drained the rest of his coffee, feeling more awake than a shot of espresso could do.

He tossed the cup in the trashcan on his way out, pausing in the hallway as he heard his name.

"Tuesti." The baritone made it obvious who was speaking.

The General was standing outside the door to the lounge. His gaze was discerning, as though he wanted to see all of Reeve's motives in that one look. Reeve wasn't sure if that was just how he felt under that stare or if the man did it deliberately.

A door down the hall opened, and Reeve nodded politely. "I'm taking the stairs, General. It was good to see you."

He turned and walked down the hall back to the stair entrance and didn't feel calmer until he turned a corner and was out of eyesight of the General. The SOLDIER made him unaccountably nervous sometimes, and he was only glad those public speaking skills saved him from stuttering.

Running his hands through his hair, Reeve reflected that it had actually gone quite well. The General may or may not act, but he was informed. Now he would need to see about another visit to the Flower Girl next week, since he'd be below the plate anyway. It had been well over two weeks since he'd last sat down to talk with her, and he was curious to know if she knew anything about Verdot. Unfortunately for her, she'd had plenty of run-ins with the Turks before, unlike Reeve who only saw Verdot at executive meetings.

While Reeve Tuesti thought about Aeris, Sephiroth's thoughts lingered on a certain blond cadet—or rather, Third Class SOLDIER now. Tuesti's impromptu intelligence reminded Sephiroth forcibly of Zack's revelation days ago at his debriefing. Cloud had known about the Ravens when only the Turks had fought them, and he now had a friend in the Turks. His weapons knowledge and reticence when it came to his teacher, while not necessarily related to AVALANCHE, were nonetheless suspicious.

The elevator stopped on his floor, and the General exited swiftly, heading back for his office and another pile of paperwork. Zack was recovering from the burial of his two friends, and intelligence was trying to piece together what they had found at the compound in Icicle Inn. That, on top of rumors of AVALANCHE's imminent move and Veld's abrupt leave left Sephiroth with too little time to consider his own problems. The General closed the door to his office but didn't move to sit down, instead taking in the view of Midgar and the desert out the window. If he had the opportunity he might have considered a vacation. Cloud's conundrum was the biggest question in his head, followed closely by questions about his parentage, and he just didn't seem to have answers to either. This was more frustrating with Cloud, who obviously knew what Sephiroth wanted to know and refused to tell.

Closing his eyes, he took a breath and tried to organize his thoughts. As of right now, Cloud was not going anywhere and neither was information concerning his biological parents, and Veld's situation was out of his control. What he could do was ensure the rest of SOLDIER was kept up to date about the Ravens, and to sign off for the instructors for the incoming cadet class.

More settled now, Sephiroth took his seat and started in on the requisition forms for the new cadets. He'd barely made a dent in them when there was a knock on his door. Before he could call out though it swung open to admit Zack.

"Hey Seph, you think you can do me a favor?"

The First looked more like his boisterous self and less melancholy like he'd been for the days following his mission to Icicle Inn. Sephiroth set down his pen as he watched Zack flop down into the chair across from him; secretly a little pleased Zack was feeling better. Sephiroth was at a loss when it came to dealing with other's grief, and it was easier overall if Zack recovered on his own.

"I want to take Cloud out for a weekend field training. They sometimes take groups in the cadet class, but he never went, and I want him to build some experience fighting real monsters. Think you can wrangle me a couple days and a car?"

Sephiroth looked straight at Zack, thinking for a moment about this. "Where would you take him?"

"Aldanna Mountains. The monsters there aren't too bad, and it's good for survival practice too." Zack shrugged, and Sephiroth sensed something more. After a pause, Zack continued. "Angeal took me there too my first time out. I…I have to tell Cloud about him, and I figured that might be the best place."

Sephiroth nodded, considering something else. Other than the usual paperwork, there were no pressing missions for SOLDIER in the near future. Heidegger had taken most of the Turks to Junon, so it was likely they'd be able to handle anything he was expecting there. As long as the week remained fairly quiet, the General thought he might get a short sort of vacation after all.

"Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I can put you on survival training leave."

"That's perfect Seph!" Zack exclaimed, smiling widely. Belatedly it occurred to Sephiroth that he should ask Zack if he could go with them, considering he might be imposing on their time.

"Zackary," Sephiroth paused, unsure how to phrase this. He rarely asked for things, and this was a curious position he'd never been in before. "Your trip with Cloud…I should like to ask if I might accompany you."

Zack frowned slightly, and Sephiroth felt the strangest pang of hurt. He wasn't sure what caused it. "I know we're worried about Cloud and all, but I don't want to pressure him too much. If he doesn't want to talk to us, then I don't want to make him unless we really have to."

Sephiroth shook his head slightly. "I do not wish to accompany you because of Strife. There has been a lot of…stress here recently." Thinking about Hojo at all made said stress feel more burdensome than before. "I have not taken a training trip in some months, and the chance to—"

"Seph, I get it." Zack was smiling now, more gently than usual. "Everyone needs to get out, we've all been feeling it. You're welcome to join us."

Whatever pain Zack's initial rejection caused evaporated. Zack spoke before he could say anything. "I don't know how much training you'll be able to get in, since we'll be sticking to stuff Cloud can deal with. Company always makes trips more fun though."

Sephiroth's lips quirked, and Zack's smiled widened in response. "There are leveled monsters at the higher elevations. I will not disturb your training."

Zack shook his head, but didn't say anything more, still smiling. "Bet Spike'll enjoy this." His smile looked devious before he took his leave.

Feeling refreshed and looking forward to the weekend, Sephiroth notified his secretary of the paperwork he'd need, and settled back to signing forms.

* * *

Cloud stood next to the old army truck, wondering exactly how much mako it took to cure motion sickness. Though memories of being sick as a dog on a ship or car were barely there, Cloud knew he'd rather not relive them.

"Throw your stuff in the back Spikey, and no reading to while away the time! I know the best songs, and this trip is going to be awesome!" Zack was more excited than Cloud had ever seen him. He ran around the truck throwing in his bags, camping gear, and their swords, jabbering the whole while. Cloud was amused by Zack's childishness, and maybe it was even a little contagious. Leaving Midgar, fighting real monsters, getting to hang out with Zack for four days, it sounded like something he'd dreamt about long ago.

"Alright!" Zack declared after several more minutes of preparing the truck. "All that's left is the big surprise." He grinned wickedly at Cloud, who immediately felt nervous. Zack's surprises were not always what he anticipated, and though they weren't necessarily _bad_…

"Seph, you made it!"

Zack's call almost made Cloud flinch, and the blond immediately turned around to confirm that it was indeed General Sephiroth coming towards them with a duffel over one shoulder and Masamune over the other.

The General said a greeting to Zack as Cloud approached. His standing with Sephiroth was hard to understand, and the General joining them on the trip made it that much weirder.

"Cloud," Sephiroth said, nodding slightly.

"Uh, sir," Cloud responded with a salute, and Zack threw his arm around his shoulders before anything more could be said by either of them.

"C'mon Spike, loosen up. Seph's coming for a little of his own training, so we probably won't see him most of the day. Let's all drop the military bearing and go as friends, okay?"

Cloud wasn't sure that was really appropriate, or possible, but Zack's big smile belied how much he wanted this, for his two closest friends to relax around each other, and Cloud was determined to try. So long as Sephiroth didn't spring anything on him like during the exam, then this could work.

"Okay, put your stuff in the back, Seph, and let's mosey!"

Four hours later, any stiffness between Sephiroth and Cloud had disappeared after hours of being subjected to Zack's singing. The man had dozens of tape decks and CDs, and he knew every word to every song it seemed. While he wasn't a bad singer, Zack's constant cajoling for Sephiroth or Cloud to join in had grated on their last nerve.

For the first hour Cloud had been perfectly miserable. It seemed he didn't have enough mako not to feel the effects of carsickness, and he'd shut his eyes to try to drown out the nausea and Zack's headache-inducing singing. By the second hour the nausea had let up some, possibly because his body was adjusting, and he was able to actually look out the window and start to enjoy the trip—even if Zack realized he was feeling better and immediately asked him to sing along.

Cloud felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around slowly to look back at the General. He was seated behind Zack at an angle so his long legs could fit more comfortably in the cramped jeep. Despite the sickness, Cloud hadn't forgotten Sephiroth sitting barely a foot behind him. Even at his most casual, the man's presence was like a beacon, and the blond felt all his nerves singing every time he heard movement behind him. It was distracting and exhilarating all at once.

Sephiroth was leaning forward, subtlety pointed at one of the tape decks between Cloud and Zack. Over Zack's rendition of "Chocobo Highway", Cloud shrugged his shoulders as though to say "what?", and when the silver-haired man pointed again, Cloud realized Sephiroth wanted the tape.

Handing the tape back to him, Cloud glanced back out of curiosity. Much to his surprise, he saw the General deftly slide the tape under the seat cushion so it disappeared from sight.

Cloud bit his lip rather than laugh or smile, and started to carefully slip more tapes and CDs back to Sephiroth at his prodding, who proceeded to hide them wherever he could. The blond forgot all about his motion sickness as they did this, enjoying such lightheartedness with _Sephiroth_ of all people.

The General's smile and amused looks reminded Cloud of why he'd gone to such lengths in the past for this man, why he still cared now. Sephiroth looked… handsome. Human. Like the person Cloud had always wished he'd known.

The thought was sobering somewhat, and he glanced back at Sephiroth again on instinct, suddenly feeling his throat constrict a bit. Nervous. Attracted. Feelings he'd been successfully pushing away every time he'd met with the man before because the mission came first—always first. They made eye contact, and Cloud quickly looked away.

The three were heading steadily south in the beat up army jeep, and were now slowly winding into the mountains. Zack had told Cloud he knew the area well, so he and Cloud would get some serious training in against a variety of beasts while Sephiroth took to the higher regions and fought something more at his level. The General hadn't said if he would join them in the evenings, but Zack's talk of campfire and s'mores made it sound as though he'd be personally offended if Sephiroth didn't.

By a little after noon Zack pulled off the main road and drove the jeep into a small clearing, parking it.

"Okay, we're halfway there!"

"Halfway?" Cloud groaned, before blushing a bit at Sephiroth's quiet chuckle.

"Yup Spike," Zack said, reaching to ruffle his hair and laughing as Cloud ducked out of reach. "We're hiking from here. There's an awesome camp spot my mentor always took me to. The sunrises are amazing, and a two mile climb from camp lands you a better view of the ocean than money can buy."

All three of them hopped out of the car and began unloading. Zack took care of the buster swords, letting Cloud empty the backseat of candy wrappers courtesy of Zack's sweet tooth. Masamune was so long the hilt had actually been between the two front seats, the tip of the blade in the farthest corner of the vehicle. Sephiroth pulled it out of the car carefully, the intricately designed sheath probably made of something incredibly expensive. He strapped it on his back at an angle, the blade almost as tall as he was. Zack similarly swung Galatine over his back, buckling it tight, then pulled the camping gear over it.

"How will you use the sword with the backpack on?" Cloud asked as he approached Zack from the side, the older SOLDIER handing him his buster sword as he spoke.

"Oh, you're the only one who's fighting Cloud," Zack said laughing, nodding over to Sephiroth who also wouldn't be able to draw his sword without dropping his gear. "You'll be taking care of anything we run into, and Seph and I are back up. I think between the three of us and a little materia we won't run into anything too strong." Zack winked as they finished unloading and locked up the car. The camouflage paintjob and the remoteness of their position meant it would be pretty safe until Monday morning when they drove back.

The trek was lighthearted, despite Cloud having to fake ignorance when it came to dealing with certain creatures. Zack explained the basics of attacking flying creatures, the faster kinds of monsters, and elementals, occasionally borrowing his sword to demonstrate. Sephiroth hung back and watched, but Cloud didn't feel so clinically analyzed as he had before under the General's scrutiny.

The four-hour hike was treacherous as points, and it was clear wherever they were going would be nearly inaccessible to anyone but a SOLDIER. Several of the rocky hillsides and narrow passes would have been quite difficult for a civilian, but with enhancements were fairly simple. At one point Cloud had even had to hand the gear and sword he'd been carrying over to Sephiroth as Zack demonstrated the necessary acrobatics to climb up a sheer rock face when the path winding through it became too narrow.

Despite being tired and dirty from having to fight every creature big and small from the car to the clearing, Cloud was happy. Zack was laughing as he recalled something that had happened at the campsite in a previous year, and Sephiroth had gone off to scout the area after a quick compliment on Cloud's performance.

That night Zack insisting on sharing stories around the fire he'd taught Cloud to build without fire materia. While Zack's were always funny, and Sephiroth often had amusing anecdotes to share, Cloud found himself at a loss. He couldn't share any of his travels from AVALANCHE, since those were places he couldn't have been to before, and post-Meteor there was very little to tell that was positive. His own childhood and teenage years were such a blur nothing really stood out.

Zack laughed, patting Cloud on the shoulder when the blond said he couldn't think of anything to share. "C'mon Cloud, surely you can think of something. Didn't you and Reno do anything fun as cadets? Or what about the trip to Midgar, anything interesting happen then?"

Cloud just shook his head, "You already know all the good stories about Reno," he said. Zack said something in response, but Cloud's eyes had flickered over to Sephiroth. The flames illuminated Sephiroth's face, making it look eerily like that moment in the fire when he'd walk away from the burning Nibelheim. That image was cemented in Cloud's memory, and he was momentarily disoriented as double vision overtook him. He hadn't had that since he'd first arrived.

"Hey Cloud, you with me?" Zack's hand waved in front of his face, and Sephiroth's eyes were slightly narrowed.

"Uh, sorry." Cloud murmured.

"Uh huh," Zack said slowly. "Well, why don't you tell us why you wanted to join Shinra? I don't think you ever told me that."

Cloud nodded, looking away from both men. He knew the real reason he'd originally wanted to join Shinra—he was staring at him from across the fire, his green eyes burning him with his gaze. It made him think of being a little boy, seeing the headlines of General Sephiroth's triumphs during the war, his hero worship that followed him all the way through Shinra to… Nibelheim.

Cloud licked his lips, trying to think of another answer that wasn't a lie. "I… I wanted to get out of Nibelheim. It's a small town."

"Yeah, same here. Gongaga was tiny and like, two days drive from anywhere."

"What do most men in Nibelheim do for a living?" Sephiroth asked, looking slightly curious.

"Lumberjacking mostly. Along with some hunting," Cloud said, looking back over at Sephiroth.

"You left because you didn't want to be a lumberjack and the military was the only way?" Zack asked biting into a corndog he'd been cooking over the fire. Zack by far ate the most out of the three of them, since he was still snacking even after dinner.

"That's mostly it," Cloud said evasively, but he already knew he'd have to give Zack something more at his look.

"I was… bullied too."

"The hair right? Man, with the way my hair sticks up I used to get teased about it too," Zack said comfortingly, putting his arm around Cloud and offering him a bite of his corndog. Zack was only half-right. Cloud had been bullied a bit when he was young, but it had been far worse after he was blamed for what happened with Tifa and the bridge.

"I have never been teased, but…" Sephiroth said softly, "Most people may have been too afraid to."

Zack sighed softly but didn't say anything, but Cloud tentatively spoke up.

"Have people always…?"

Sephiroth shifted slightly, and the creak of his leather pants was audible. It made Cloud swallow slightly, awkwardness briefly forgotten as he remembered how closefitting those pants were.

"For the most part. I have always… stuck out, I suppose."

Though Cloud couldn't say it, he knew the feeling. After defeating Sephiroth and the remnants, he'd been so famous it had been hard to escape people who recognized him. He had become isolated in a crowd, people parting for him and whispering about him, and it had been frustrating and sad. At least there he'd had AVALANCHE and the children, but here…

All Sephiroth really had here was Zack and… and maybe him.

"After… Hojo and the experiments, when everyone found out…" Cloud said softly.

Zack's arm hugged him a little tighter, and Sephiroth stared at him with an unreadable look on his face.

"They treated me as… delicate. Like I'd fall apart. Or others like I might be… dangerous." It was hard to say it, but it was true. For a while there, AVALANCHE hadn't been sure what to think. He remembered the room on the _Highwind_, admitting that he remembered he _wasn't_ a SOLDIER, that he'd been a failed experiment; that he wasn't half the man he claimed he was. He remembered their shocked and dismayed expressions, how shaken the trust was there for a while.

The Turks though, especially Reno, had acted in moments like he was unstable, like he'd lose it the way Sephiroth had. That hurt, especially since they'd been _right_. Sephiroth wouldn't have gotten the Black Materia otherwise.

Zack shook his shoulder a bit, jarring him from the memory. "Hey, what's done is done. Let's find a spot where you can see the moon and stars really clearly. Bet it's been awhile since you've seen those, country boy."

The three found themselves by the edge of a gorge, where the tree line fell back and the sky was open to them. Zack's face was calm as he looked up, thoughts a million miles away.

The blond looked over at Sephiroth on his other side, the General's face contemplative. He looked beautiful in the evening light, and it reminded Cloud all over again why he… why _this_ man.

Cloud looked away from Sephiroth and back to the night sky, recalling infinite nights of camping with AVALANCHE, standing at the cliff where Zack had fallen, the reflection of these same stars in the pool of water where he'd laid Aeris to rest.

_Thank you for sending me here and letting me fix this._

* * *

Cloud was awake at dawn out of habit and because without a tent the morning light was strong. Sephiroth was already up and rewrapping the hilt of Masamune. He glanced over at Cloud with a slight smile on his lips, which sent a jolt through Cloud that reminded him of why being a teenager was a pain. Flushing without meaning to and infinitely thankful for the sleeping bag to hide the unwitting tent in his pants he'd woken with, he was thankful Zack blocked Sephiroth's gaze by crouching down to offer him breakfast.

"Sausage this morning, and it's straight from the grocer. No Shinra food here." Zack smiled brightly—too brightly for dawn by most people's standards—and messed Cloud's hair up that was no doubt sticking up more than usual.

"I will be heading out," Sephiroth announced, pocketing a couple things but otherwise only taking his sword and a handful of materia. "I will try to be back before dark."

"Alright, see you Seph," Zack called, while moving off to scrounge for socks in one of the backpacks.

Cloud nodded at him, rubbing one eye and missing Sephiroth's amused look. The blond had no idea how cute he looked in the morning.

Half an hour after breakfast, Zack and Cloud packed up the odds and ends of camp and set out for a day of fighting. Zack jabbered on excitedly about some of the interesting monsters they'd likely see, and the varying terrains located nearby.

"I would take you out to the desert Cloud, but there can be some really nasty shit out there. In some of the high dunes, you can run into these sand worms that are as big as a house and can take several SOLDIERs to kill. They'll even swallow you whole and spit you back out, all covered in putrid smelling gunk!"

Zack regaled Cloud with tales of some of the creatures he'd fought, prodding Cloud for descriptions of Mt. Nibel dragons and wolves.

The day would probably be ranked as one of Cloud's best. He and Zack ate lunch overlooking a lake from the top of a hill, chatting about anything and everything that came to mind. Zack enjoyed showing off some of his flashier moves to Cloud and creative tricks for dealing with just about anything that came their way.

The way back up the mountainside to camp later that afternoon was quieter, since the ground could be quite steep and both SOLDIERs had to work harder and still deal with enemies occasionally attacking them.

When they did finally reach the campsite, Zack flopped down in a heap on his sleeping bag, grinning widely at the blond. Cloud sank down more slowly, feeling pleasantly worn out. He felt loose and tired, and he smiled slightly at Zack, who only grinned back more broadly.

"I figured we'd save hunting for a longer trip, and somewhere with better options than these frigid mountains. Beef stew sound good?"

Cloud nodded, glancing up to see the sun edging behind the trees of the clearing. Sephiroth should be back soon. His chest felt a little warmer, and he couldn't help thinking about how different Sephiroth could be. While at Shinra he was mainly the imposing General, but he'd had moments where he'd shown Cloud another side of him. Telling him about Masamune, in fact that entire training session, and… that first incident at the candy machine. When he'd given Cloud the candy bar.

Cloud didn't realize he'd zoned out thinking about all those brief half-smiles until Zack threw an onion at him. "Hey Cloud, who ya thinkin' about?" Zack teased, laughing at Cloud's sudden blush.

"No one," Cloud said immediately, taking the knife handed to him to cut up the onion.

"Suuuure," Zack said, winking at him just as Sephiroth entered the clearing, looking almost exactly the same as he had that morning, like he hadn't been tromping through the woods all day.

"Hey Seph, you beat up anything cool?" Zack asked, poking the fire some to build up the flames.

"There were a number of Rapps at the higher altitudes."

"Oh, those suckers pack a mean punch."

At Cloud's confused look, admittedly because he had a feeling he'd fought one before but couldn't quite remember what it was, Sephiroth clarified. "A Rapps is a small type of flying dragon found in this area. They're most known for their destructive Aero attacks they create with their wings."

Cloud nodded, throwing in the rest of the onion he was cutting up as Sephiroth took a seat adjacent to him and set down his blade. The group made small talk as they waited for dinner to cook, Zack boasting about the monsters they'd gotten today, and a variety of water-based beasts he spotted that he wanted Cloud to take on tomorrow.

Dinner was followed by Zack's insistence on having s'mores, so the three SOLDIERs went scavenging for appropriate sticks to spear their marshmallows. Zack set the first one of his on fire, and then accidentally dropped the second one in the fire. Sephiroth told Cloud Zack routinely went through about three marshmallows per s'more he made, much to Cloud's amusement.

Sephiroth's came out perfectly each time, while Cloud's first was undercooked and refused to squish under the graham cracker, ruining the first s'more when it all fell to the round in the struggle, and the second came out blackened and overcooked. The last time the blond had made s'mores was with Yuffie, and he was fairly sure he hadn't gotten to even finish cooking his marshmallow because she'd stolen some of his materia while he'd been focused on it.

While Zack informed Cloud that he was proud his apprentice seemed to have a similar bad luck streak with marshmallow cooking, Sephiroth rolled his eyes and stuck two marshmallows on his stick.

"Hey, no one likes a show off," Zack said, pointedly looking at the even browning on both of Sephiroth's marshmallows. His own was black on one side, but otherwise okay for now. Cloud's third attempt was cooking very slowly on the outside of the fire, since he was hesitant to ruin another.

Sephiroth didn't respond to the accusation, but when he'd sufficiently cooked the two marshmallows on his stick, he took Cloud's plate with chocolate and graham cracker and skillfully slid the first marshmallow off the stick and in between the chocolate and cracker.

"You should be able to eat at least one s'more before you and Zack finish the whole bag," Sephiroth told Cloud as he handed the wide-eyed blond his plate, feeling his stomach do a funny flip at the happy curl of Cloud's lips. He realized his eyes were focused there a bit too long when the fire snapped particularly loudly, drawing his attention back to his cooling marshmallow still speared on his stick. Zack's amused stare from the other side of the fire he completely ignored.

The rest of the night was peaceful for Cloud. After Sephiroth's impromptu gift of a s'more—and it tasted better than any other that night—they talked more, though not about anything serious. Eventually they all settled down to sleep, and if Cloud craned his neck he could see both SOLDIERs while still curled up in his sleeping bag. Zack's arms were splayed wide, as though the cool evening air didn't bother him one bit, his face relaxed in sleep. Sephiroth's face was turned away from Cloud, but the bright silver hair held back in a long ponytail was almost iridescent in the moonlight. Cloud fell asleep hoping tomorrow would be like today.

The next day Cloud rolled awake around the same time as Zack, who's bed head was possibly worse than Cloud's. Sephiroth was again awake before either of them, but he didn't seem to have beaten them by much. Cloud glanced over at the older man, only to catch sight of smooth pectorals and defined abs as the General pulled on his overcoat and fastened it.

Cloud's mouth went dry, and he wasn't quite able to pull his eyes away before Sephiroth's flashed to his, Cloud's eyes caught wide. Zack yawned loudly, and Cloud sharply looked away, heart pounding.

Sephiroth left again for a different part of the mountains, while Cloud and Zack cleared up camp and headed for the lake so Zack could show Cloud the finer points of beating up sea creatures.

"So, you see all those monsters prowling at the water's edge?" Zack pointed down towards the side of the lake where a number of creatures were. "Now, they'll escape into the water after you take out a few, so I brought this." Zack produced from his pocket a green materia and handed it to Cloud. "Tell me what level it is."

Cloud took the materia and rolled it in his palm, looking at the interconnected web of frozen mako that made up the inside. "Bolt2 is the highest."

"Good. So once those monsters start diving back into the water, I want you to hit them with a jolt of electricity. It'll be good for your aim and to work your MP arm a little. I know you're not a big materia user, but it's better not to ignore the skill."

Cloud nodded, and took a breath. He had been almost avoiding materia since he'd discovered his spontaneous ability with it, and the following sessions of trying to learn some control. As useful as the magical boost might be in a dire situation, he didn't want anyone to realize how much power he could wield with a materia. SOLDIER had few genuine mages, since those who joined the military generally wanted to fight with a sword or gun, so anyone with his power in magic would be highly valued. It would also be of great interest to a number of people why his magic was so powerful, which was something he wanted to avoid.

The very last thing he wanted to be was an experiment, again.

"Okay Spike, head on down there. I'm right behind you."

The first encounters weren't too difficult, and Cloud was able to take them down easily. One of the larger flying fish though was a pain with its evasive ability, so Zack told him to blast it with the materia.

Cloud raised his sword and activated the Lightening materia in it, calling out a little bit of the energy to hit the fish. The blast was bright, lighting up the whole area, and he managed to KO the monster in one hit.

"Nice Cloud!" Zack yelled, thumping him on the back. "Either that thing was more lightening-weak than we thought, or you hit him real good."

The fights progressed like that until lunchtime rolled around. "How's your MP?" Zack asked as he led Cloud around to a large rock pointed out into the lake. Zack casually cleared away some of the monsters nearby and pulled out the sandwiches Cloud had put together this morning.

"It's okay," Cloud said, accepting the outstretched Ether even though he didn't really need it. He'd only been using Bolt1 for those hits, even if Zack didn't know that.

Zack was quieter after that, munching on his overstuffed sandwich—he'd insisted on having as much as Cloud could fit between the bread—and looking out at the water. It was a little cool to be in the mountains now, but the SOLDIER First didn't really feel it. Cloud had been sure to bring layers; since he knew without enough mako enhancements he'd get colder much faster. The area around Midgar was generally more temperate than the rest of the continents, and these mountains weren't high enough to even have snow on them this time of the year.

"Hey, Cloud," Zack said, and the blond looked up at him from where he was staring down at the water.

"Yeah Zack?"

"There's… something I should probably tell you."

Zack's serious face immediately made Cloud worried. His first thought was, silly enough, that Zack didn't want to train him anymore. His stomach twisting with anxiousness at what the First could possibly say, and Cloud put down the sandwich to give Zack his full attention.

"My mentor's name was Angeal," Zack said, and he sounded tired as he said it. Cloud's eyes were wide as he realized Zack was telling him the story of what happened to Angeal. The blond knew bits and pieces, but he'd never really heard the whole thing, and hadn't expected to.

"He was honorable and fair, and a real role model for all the new SOLDIERs. This was his sword," Zack said, indicating the buster sword in his hand. Cloud looked down at it, remembering all the travels he'd done with it. He'd known in some way that the sword had been passed down to Zack, but he may have confused the feelings when Zack had handed it to him just before he had passed away.

Zack looked up at Cloud then, and there was some expression on his face Cloud didn't recognize. "I know I said this was supposed to be a relaxing trip. No inquiries, no questions." Zack rubbed a hand over his head, and Cloud knew the man was having trouble with this conversation.

"You don't have to tell me, Zack," Cloud said softly. He wanted to reach out and touch the First, but wasn't sure it that was right.

"No Cloud, I- I _know_."

The blond froze. He had no idea what Zack was referring to, but if this serious turn of conversation was any indication, it probably wasn't good.

"He was your teacher too, wasn't he? Angeal?" Zack was really looking at Cloud now, searching him for the answer. Cloud had almost stopped breathing, caught between relief that Zack was mistaken, and dread because this seriously complicated things.

"I-"

"Let me get this out, okay? Angeal he…part of the reason he was such a strong SOLDIER was because of something this scientist did to him when he was born. You know Shinra," Zack said weakly, not cracking a smile.

"He was 'deteriorating', he said, and well, he thought himself a monster. And I…I couldn't make him see that he wasn't." Zack shook his head, and Cloud again wasn't sure to reach out to him or wait.

"It was in Modeoheim. Angeal asked me to…to destroy anything that caused suffering. And he said that included him. I couldn't make him see reason, and I think he just wanted it to end."

Zack sounded hurt and vulnerable, a side of the SOLDIER Cloud had never seen before. He'd always been so brave for Cloud, so boisterous no matter what was happened. It was hard to see him this way.

"I killed him," Zack said softly. "It was what he wanted, even though I wish it wasn't. That's when he gave me this," lifting the sword in his hand slightly, "and told me to protect my honor." Zack smiled slightly, full of nostalgia. "He was always going on about honor."

Cloud looked down, not sure what to say. He wasn't sure what was appropriate or what kind of response he expected.

The silence was a short lull, before Zack gently nudged him, his face full of remorse. "I know he was your teacher too, probably for a short time, but I'm sorry."

Some pragmatic, even cold part of Cloud, said to go along with the story, to let Zack and probably Sephiroth too, believe Angeal had been his teacher. It would cover his tracks when it came to training after all. The more sensitive side of Cloud, the one that was winning out more and more, balked at the idea though.

"Zack." Cloud said softly, awkwardly touching his arm. "Angeal wasn't my teacher. I…I never knew him."

Zack's expression didn't change for a second, most likely out of surprise, before looking almost sympathetic. "Cloud, if you feel like you have to lie, I get it. Angeal was wanted by Shinra. We were hunting him down. But he's gone. You don't have to protect him anymore, and his memory isn't tainted. Sephiroth and I both know Angeal was a good man."

"I'm not lying, Zack," Cloud said earnestly. He didn't really know why, but he didn't want his teacher to be known as anyone other than Zack. He'd taken such pride for _years_ that he'd known Zack, that to Zack he had been special. He didn't want that taken away. "Someone else was my teacher. Someone else… My teacher was very special to me. He- He was like Angeal was to you, I'm sure. I didn't get that long with him, but… it wasn't Angeal, Zack. I promise you that."

The First took in Cloud's grave face, and he already knew the blond was being perfectly honest. Zack rubbed his hands down his face and started to laugh. Cloud was surprised at the turn.

"Look at us, Cloud," Zack said shaking his head. "Seph and I were _convinced_ it had to be him, and I spent all morning preparing to deal with yelling or crying. And it was someone else." Zack's laugh didn't sound so humorous anymore, if anything it was almost cynical. "Why so many secrets, Cloud? Can you tell me at least that?"

The blond looked down helplessly at his half-eaten sandwich. He didn't know what to tell Zack. _I'm from an alternate future where you're dead, Sephiroth went insane, and everything you knew and loved has pretty much been destroyed? And I'm here to reverse that by destroying the threat before you even know it's one so you can live on in peace?_

"Zack… I don't like to keep secrets." Cloud reached over and grabbed Zack's arm before he could think the action through. Something told him to anchor himself to Zack. To not let his best friend let go. "If I told you, everything might change." Zack looked like he wanted to say something, but Cloud cut him off quickly. "This is something I have to deal with myself. If you or Sephiroth get involved… it might turn out bad. Really bad. Worse than before even."

"Before?" Zack interrupted.

"So please," Cloud said, looking straight into Zack's eyes. "Please let me do this myself. Maybe when it's done I can tell you."

"Cloud," Zack said, grabbing Cloud's other arm so they were holding each other steady. He wasn't laughing anymore. "You need to promise me something too. You need to promise that if you need help—with _anything_—no matter how crazy or illegal it is, if you need help, you ask Seph or me. That's what friends are for, and whatever you're talking about, I don't want it to turn out bad for you either."

Zack's face was so stern that Cloud knew he couldn't walk away without promising him this. He had no intention of taking Zack up on it, but he had to make the promise.

"I know that look," said Zack, still perfectly serious, "You have to know how to ask for help when you need it, Cloud. You can't do everything alone. Think of Seph and I as your back up, your _friends_. We'd cross the whole world for you if you needed us to."

Cloud stared into Zack's mako bright eyes. He would go to the ends of the Planet for Cloud, just like AVALANCHE had for him.

Just like Cloud had for Sephiroth.

"Okay, Zack," Cloud murmured, his chest tight with emotion for Zack. "I promise if I need help—"

"With anything," Zack interrupted.

"With anything," Cloud repeated dutifully, "I'll ask you or Sephiroth."

"Good," Zack said, letting go of Cloud's arms and standing up. He felt almost cramped he'd been sitting so tense for so long. Cloud followed suit, brushing off his pants and glancing down at his abandoned sandwich. Zack grabbed Cloud before the blond could move and pulled him into a hug.

"Sorry Spike, just can't help myself," he said, pulling back. "Now let's go kill some things."

Cloud hid a smile as he tossed the remains of his lunch into the lake and picked his sword up, staring at Zack like it was the first time he'd seen him coming back again. "Let's mosey."

* * *

They returned to the campsite that evening to leftover stew and more stories. Sephiroth was in high spirits, since he'd run into a rare bird that had given him a run for his money. Zack didn't mention what happened during lunch, which Cloud was infinitely glad he didn't have to repeat. Zack had said he would tell Sephiroth, but would respect Cloud's wish not to bring it up twice in a day.

They had more s'mores that night, and Sephiroth helped Cloud find the perfect place in the fire to cook his marshmallows while Zack complained bitterly that no one was helping him make perfect s'mores. In the end Sephiroth gave him one of his perfect marshmallows to, in his words, "make the puppy stop whining", which Zack was then obliged to explain where the nickname "Puppy" came from.

Cloud enjoyed hearing about Angeal, and lamented that he'd never known the man from Zack's descriptions. It seemed he'd been a friend of Sephiroth's as well, and both spoke highly of him.

The next morning everyone woke more slowly because they were heading back to Shinra—and showers, as Zack gleefully reminded them. With the chill winter wind and all the layers they were wearing (or rather, Cloud was, because neither Sephiroth nor Zack really needed them) there hadn't really been any need to bathe on such a short trip, but Cloud too was looking forward to a hot shower.

They packed up the gear, broke camp, and started the long hike back down to the jeep. Zack took point since he wanted to hack and slash at some things, and Sephiroth took the rear. Cloud in the middle enjoyed watching Zack in action, and due to his attention elsewhere didn't notice Sephiroth's eyes on him the whole time.

The General had enjoyed the break from work and the satisfying thrill of fighting monsters. Zack's company had been tempered with Cloud there, who even now continued to hold Sephiroth's eye. Sephiroth had been a little embarrassed when he'd been caught watching Cloud twice by Zack, who seemed to find it more amusing than anything else. He had a feeling when Zack had signaled he had something to tell him back at Shinra, he would be teased about Strife too.

In the mornings Cloud's hair stuck up every which way. His resemblance to a chocobo that Zack had always joked about seemed more obvious in the morning. The way his shirt rode up as he wiggled out of the sleeping bag had drawn Sephiroth's eye more than once, and Zack's waggling eyebrows hadn't helped.

The look in Cloud's eyes that morning when he'd caught his gaze had been familiar to Sephiroth, and a pleasant surprise if he were totally honest. He had not really given much thought to any reciprocal attraction, but the young SOLDIER was of legal age, and with mako injections…

As they walked the General caught himself twice with eyes straying to Cloud's overall form. While combat pants and standard Third Class jackets were hardly flattering, Sephiroth had gotten glimpses of the lean muscle underneath. Because of Cloud's focus on the buster sword and his smaller stature, he'd probably become more broad-shouldered and slightly bulkier in built. It was a nice counterpoise to Sephiroth's tall and lithe musculature that relied more on speed than raw strength. The height difference would also make battle more interesting, and perhaps in other areas…

Sephiroth cut the thought off and deliberately tuned his senses to the noise of the forest instead of Cloud's back as he walked.

The rest of the hike wasn't too difficult, though downhill walking was always less fun than uphill and much harder on the knees. When they did make it back to the car, Cloud was glad for the chance to rest, even though he realized as Zack started up the car, that he'd likely have motion sickness again.

Luckily for Cloud, the first hour was mostly spent with Zack complaining about the lack of variety of music, to which Sephiroth played perfectly innocent, and Cloud closed his eyes and tried to quell the vague feelings of nausea. By the time they were out in the flat desert, Cloud was feeling a little better, Zack was trying to find anything to listen to on the radio, and Sephiroth was staring out the window. When Cloud glanced back at him, the General turned, one side of his mouth curving up a bit, which Cloud tentatively returned before turning back quickly.

Zack finally getting a Midgar rock station heralded the last hour of the trip. The First proceeded to drum along with the songs while Sephiroth dozed in the back and Cloud stared out at the vast wilderness, remembering his home he'd built out here.

"We made it!" Zack called as he turned in to Shinra's military parking garage. Cloud's carsickness had returned with all the twists and turns Zack had to make in the city, so he was more than happy to get out of the jeep as quickly as he could. Sephiroth and Zack mainly unpacked while Cloud got his bearings, and then the three trooped towards the main complex. Zack offered to take everything back to the quartermaster, so he broke off from Cloud and Sephiroth to drop the stuff off. The First's apartments and the Seconds and Thirds housing were in the same direction, so Sephiroth and Cloud headed over together.

"You have improved quite a bit this weekend," Sephiroth said.

"Thanks. It was nice to have you with us," Cloud murmured, stumbling over his words slightly.

Sephiroth didn't fully smile, but the ends of his lips quirked up slightly. "I enjoyed it. If things are not too busy, you should have dinner with Zack and I."

Cloud glanced up at his superior officer, surprised by the offer. "Uh, that'd be nice. Sir."

Sephiroth nodded, offering a goodbye as his split off for the First's apartments. Cloud paused in his stride feeling that mixture of nervousness and attraction all over again as he watched him go, eyes unintentionally lingering on the tight leather pants. Sephiroth wanted to have dinner with him and Zack. As friends. Cloud bit his lip to hide the smile, and headed back to his room for a nice, long hot shower.


End file.
